DRUGS RESEARCH DEPARTMENT

-  The center has managed to introduce herbal treatment for several diseases.

This department studies the biochemical effects of medicinal plants through finding out how they affect the biochemical components in the blood and tissues of the laboratory animals taking these plants for different periods of time with a view to evaluating the side effects of pharmaceutical preparations. 

DEPARTMENT OF PHYTOCHEMISTRY

 -  The medical effect of plants and herbs in treating diseases has been explained scientifically.

-  The center has also managed to manufacture the medicinal plants and herbs used for treating diseases in the various pharmaceutical forms of tablets, ointments, powders and syrups.

-  The center has issued a book containing the special requirements for registering and controlling pharmaceutical preparations of herbal origin.

-  The center comprises of several departments and units charged with the various activities constituting the functions performed by the center.

These are as follows:

LABORATORY OF SENSITIVE INSTRUMENTS

This laboratory is responsible for carrying out quantitative and qualitative analysis of the effective ingredients in the medicinal plants, thus revealing whether any adulteration or bad storage has occurred.  The analysis also shows the effect of manufacturing on the components of the plants used in pharmaceutical preparations and the extent to which the curative ingredients in these preparations remain effective.   The laboratory also studies the biological availability and the melting and spread rates of the effective components in the pharmaceutical preparations.  It also defines the various elements in these plants and determines the percentage of each element.

MICROBIOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Any microbes in medicinal plants are found out in this Unit.  The microbes are isolated, examined and fully described.  The Unit also performs a microbiological survey of the effective ingredients in the substances extracted from the medicinal plants.   It measures the toxic activity of the separated materials and the therapeutic activity of the effective ones.  The Unit then examines the pharmaceutical preparations manufactured at the center to make sure they are free from any microbes that may cause diseases, and tests the sterilization of the sterilized pharmaceutical preparations.  In general, this Unit is responsible for ascertaining that the pharmaceutical preparation received by the patient is in the best effective form by using the most appropriate and accurate microbiological analysis.

PHARMACEUTICAL DEPARTMENT

This department conducts an evaluation of all the pharma-ceuticals prepared inside the center.  It also studies the medicinal plants used in these preparations to determine their expiry dates.  It makes pharmaceutical studies about the possibility of eliminating ethanol from the pharmaceuticals prepared at the hospitals and public clinics in Kuwait.  The department also performs the following functions:

-  Manufacturing medicinal plants and herbs in the form of pharmaceutical preparations such as tablets, capsules, syrups, powders and ointments.

-  Evaluating the pharma-ceuticals prepared according to their pharmacopoeias.

-  Studying the permanency duration of the effective ingre-dients in the pharmaceutical preparations under various temperatures and humidities to determine their expiry dates and the most appropriate ways of storing them.

-  Studying the possibility of eliminating alcohol from preparations through the use of harmless alternatives with a view to preparing Islamic pharmaceuticals free from any prohibited materials.

 PHRAMACOGNOSY DEPARTMENT

This department conducts external and microscopic studies on all the medicinal plants and herbs delivered to the center.

Other functions performed by the department include:

-  Separating the effective materials that exist at a high percentage to be used as criterial ingredients.

-  Laying down specifications for the pharmaceutical preparations manufactured at the center.

-  Analyzing the medicinal plants received by the center for daily use.

THE DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOLOGY

It conducts the pharmacological assessment and studies of the right does of medicinal plants on the laboratory animals through finding out how the herbal medicines affect these animals and each of their organs separately in order to determine the therapeutic potentials of these plants.

It also studies the mechanism of their pharmacological effect with regard to the herbal structures as a whole and then their various individual components at the level of tissues and their biochemical contents as well as at the level of the cell.  A study is also made on the toxic effects of medicinal plants by giving them to laboratory animals for different periods of time and determining the unlethal doses while observing the side effects of these structures on different tissues an blood components and biochemical contents.  Coming under observation are also the effects on the fertility, pregnancy, fetuses as well as newly born animals and their growth.

QUALITY CONTROL DEPARTMENT

It makes sure that each pharma-ceutical preparation produced by the center meets the required specifications and that the pres-cribed dose for the patient will give the expected therapeutic effect.  The specifications are determined by pharmacopoeias of the different drugs.  For each individual drug a criterial preparation is made and submitted to several tests until the best results are obtained.  These become the specifications on he basis of which the drug is evaluated.

Control over the preparations produced by the center also includes the determination of natural and pharmaceutical properties as well as the microscopic and chemical examination of the preparation components.

ANIMAL HOUSE

The Center has a fully equipped and well-maintained animal house having different species of animals viz. rats, mice, guineapigs, rabbits, cats and dogs.  Also, the small laboratory animals are bred and raised, in sufficient numbers, to ensure regular supply of inbred strains for specified researches.  Adequated provisions are available for long-term experimentations.  There also exists an operation theater for conducting various types of surgical interventions in the animals