Pharmacognosy stands at the confluence of botany, chemistry, and pharmacology, forming the foundation upon which our understanding of natural drugs is built. As the oldest branch of pharmaceutical science, it retains profound relevance in a world increasingly drawn toward plant-based, sustainable, and evidence-informed therapeutics. This book, Introduction to Pharmacognosy, has been written as a comprehensive and accessible companion for first-semester B.Pharm students encountering the subject for the first time. It follows the prescribed course structure closely, guiding the learner systematically from the historical foundations of the discipline through to the cultivation, quality evaluation, phytochemistry, and therapeutic application of natural drugs. The text is organized into five units. Unit I introduces the definition, history, scope, and classification of pharmacognosy, along with the pharmacopoeial standards that govern herbal drugs worldwide. Unit II addresses the practical dimensions of cultivation, collection, processing, and conservation of medicinal plants. Unit III is devoted to the quality control of natural drugs, following World Health Organization guidelines on physicochemical evaluation. Unit IV explores the primary and secondary metabolites of plant origin and situates pharmacognosy within the wider context of traditional systems of medicine. Unit V presents a curated survey of clinically significant phyto-therapeutic agents, organized by pharmacological action