BIO 141 1st Edition Lecture 14 Outline of Last Lecture II. History of Plants in MedicineIII. Discovery of Plant MedicineIV. Greeks and RomanV. AztecVI. AyurvedaVII. Age of HerbalsVIII. Prescription DrugsOutline of Current Lecture IX. Indigenous peopleX. Herbal MedicinesXI. Plant PoisonsXII. DiseasesCurrent LectureMedicine & knowledge of indigenous peoples- Widespread destruction of entire ecosystems = loss of medicinal plants and knowledge- Environmentalists have to fight many battles in order to keep land the way it is, and if they lose than all those plants are gone forever- Ethnobotany to the rescueHerbal Medicines- Infusions- Decoctions- Tinctuers- Chemicals for survival – the evolutionary strategyo Protection from herbivory and predationo Allelopathy: warfare with other plants- Chemicals by accidentPlant Poisons- Poison hemlock: Conium maculatum- Most medicines “poison you well”These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- They are either ineffective, effective, or toxicMost Common Medicinal Compound: Alkaloids- Propertieso Taste bitterAn Assortment of Alkaloids- Poisons- Pain killers- Addictive drugs- Mildly addictive- CuresAlso…- Glycosides- Oxalates (The part that in the rhubarb leaf so that humans won’t eat them)- Resins (African Milk bush)- PhytotoxinsImportant Toxic Plant Families- Euphorbiaceae (Spurge Family)- Rosaceae (Rose)- Solanacease (Potato)- This is just a sampling of the numerous plant families that contain toxic speciesSpurge Family- Euphorbia spp. (among others)o Milky latexLots of Misinformation- Poinsettia is a great example, they are poisonis, but you need to eat thousands to get sickRose Family- Malus spp. (Apples)- Prunus spp. (Apricot, cherry, peach, plum, almond)Potato Family- Deadly Nightshade- Bittersweet Nightshadeo Fruit of most species toxico Also an important hallucinogenic/psychoactive plant family- Even potatoes can be highly toxicThe Food, Poison, Medicine Continuum- Some food if not processed can kill us- Most wild beans and wild potatoes are very poisonous and can kill us- Cooking will generally destroy that proteinMalaria- Plasmodium: small unicellular organism that lives in mosquitoes- Has a disease cycle where you get sick, get better, get sick again, etc.- Quinine was used to soak in water like tea to build resistance to MalariaAloe Vera- Burns and skin conditions- Contains glycosides- Stimulates cell growth and prevents infectionEphedra/Ma Huang- Decongestant + Stimulant- Ephadrine & Pseudoephedrine- Used to create meth- Banned as over the counter drug in 2006Cancer Drugs- Vincristine from Madagascar periwinkle- Taxol is an anticancer
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