Department of Pharmacognosy

 Founded: 2006

 Head of Department: Professor Naira Chichoyan

From 1974 to 1987, the Pharmacognosy course was organized within the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Yerevan State Medical Institute. It operated as the “Pharmacognosy with Botany” course, headed by Associate Professor L.V. Revazova, a Candidate of Biological Sciences and author of numerous scientific works and educational manuals.

In 1987 the course of pharmacognosy was organized alongside with the “Clinical pharmacology, pharmacognosy and botany” Department. The Head of the Department was prof. R.Gh. Boroyan. Under the scientific supervision of Professor R.G. Boroyan and Associate Professor L.V. Revazova, several PhD theses in the specialty of “Pharmacy” were successfully prepared and defended.

In the 1990s, numerous research projects conducted at the chair contributed to the development of pharmacognosy as a distinct branch of science. During that period, under the leadership of Prof. R. G. Boroyan and Associate Professors L. V. Revazova and A. S. Karagyozian, and thanks to the scientific potential of the Department, a number of medicinal species characteristic of the Armenian flora were investigated. Specifically, medicinal species of the Asteraceae (Compositae) and Rosaceae families of the Armenian flora were studied (L.V. Revazova, I.H. Sokhikyan, 1988), as well as species belonging to the genus Hypericum L. growing in various climatic zones of Armenia (E. A. Melikyan, 1998).

The phytochemical analysis of gums obtained from fructiferous trees of family Rosaceae (apricot, peach tree, plum tree, almond tree) of Armenian flora has been conducted, which has significantly increased the application of national binders of herbal origin in some areas of industry ( N. B. Chichoyan 2000).The antioxidant activities of several plant origin preparations were studied by modern methods ( L. A. Amiryan 2000).The chemical composition of seeds and green mass of Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L. growing in different regions of Armenia (K. H. Dumanyan 2002).

First manuals of pharmacognosy were complied in Armenian authors L.V. Revazova, N. B. Chichoyan 2000) and English (L. A. Amiryan, 2007) were designed for Pharmacy Faculty.

From 2006 till nowadays Pharmacognosy Department is an individual Department, and the Head of the Department is Professor, PhD N. B. Chichoyan. She is the author of more than 100 scientific publications (including those published in prestigious international journals), educational manuals, and patents for inventions. Under her leadership, pharmacognostic studies of valuable and promising plant species of the Armenian flora are being carried out. Within the framework of these studies, numerous research papers have been published, and three PhD dissertations in the specialty of ‘Pharmacy’ have been defended. The Department actively participates in the grant programs of the Higher Education and Science Committee of the Republic of Armenia (2021-2024, 2025-2028). Research conducted within the framework of these programs, as well as the Department’s own research themes, is published in prestigious journals indexed in the Web of Science, Scopus, and Taylor & Francis databases, and is regularly presented at various national and international conferences.

Parallel with the educational process the students of the Department participate in all research activities (isolation of volatile oil from the raw material, extraction of biologically active compounds, pharmacognostic analysis of herbal raw materials). Students represent the results of the research works at the scientific conferences. Pharmacognosy Department is in collaboration with other Departments of University such as “Medical microbiology”, “Medical physics” and with the laboratory of scientific research. The Department is also in scientific relation with G.S. Davtyan Institute of Hydroponics Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA), A. Takhtajyan Institute of Botany (NAS RA), and the “Armbiotechnology” Scientific and Practical Center.

The Department also collaborates with the Agricultural University of Athens, the Department of Chemistry of Natural Compounds (National University of Pharmacy, Kharkiv) and the Department of Pharmacognosy (Tbilisi State Medical University).

The Department offers instruction in three languages (Armenian, Russian, and English).

The curriculum includes Botany, Pharmacognosy, Pharmacognostic Analysis of Herbal Raw Materials, Resource Science of Medicinal Plant, Commodity Analysis of Herbal Raw Materials and Phytotherapy with the Basics of Pharmacognosy for the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs of the Faculty of Pharmacy.

The Department also provides elective lectures in Phytotherapy for Bachelor’s degree students of the faculties of General Medicine and Stomatology.

1. Naira B. Chichoyan Head of the Department, professor, PhD
2. Karine. H Dumanyan Associate professor, PhD
3. Armine V. Moghrovyan Senior lecturer, PhD
4. Astghik A. Altunyan Lecturer
5. Nelly H. Ghukasyan. Lecturer
6. Vahe G. Hovhannisyan Lecturer
7. Naira I. Arshakyan Lecturer
8. Arshaluys M. Ghazaryan Assistant
9. Gayane H. Klekchyan Computer operator

Add. RA, Koryun 2, Yerevan, 0025, YSMU, Pharmacognosy Department

Tel. (+37460) 621 353,

E-mail: n.chichoyan@mail.ru