ETHNOBOTANICAL SURVEY

Traditionally plants have been used by various ethnic as remedies for health problems.
Certain plants species were reported to be used widely for specific medical problems.
In places like South Africa for example, families of Asphodelaceae, Apiaceae, Asteraceae and Amaryllidaceae were reported as most commonly used for the treatment of constipation.
Based on this knowledge, researchers were able to select potential plants for their studies and hopeful to develop some of them as new drug for treating constipation.
This approach is known as ethnobotanical approach.

ABSORPTION PROCESS

Remember that absorption is the most important step to make sure that drugs administered by mouth reach your blood circulation.
If drugs fail to be absorbed, it indicates that drugs taken might be completely destroyed during transit in the stomach or it might simply means that drug molecules cannot pass through the membrane of the gastrointestinal tract and the blood vessels.

There are few possible reasons for this.
First, it could be that the size of the drug molecule is too big to penetrate through the membrane pores. Secondly, they might be very polar or low lipid solubility.

Failure to be absorbed means expected therapeutic drug concentration cannot be achieved.

Hence, failure to achieve desirable therapeutic effects.

COMPLIANCE

Most patients can hardly tell the name of drugs they are taking. But if you ask them why they are taking those drugs, they know the general reason they are taking them. They are also able to explain the general instruction regarding to when and how to take the medication. Some patients can really explain the appropriate ways of administration such as the frequency, before or after meal and the dos and don't related to the drugs.
However, whether they comply is another matter.

As a pharmacy personnel, we have the responsibility to ensure that right drugs are supplied and right information are given. On top of that, we need to have persuasion skills to help us persuade the patients to comply taking medications prescribed.

Effectiveness of the drugs is largely determined by patients compliance