Medicinal Plants: Central Nervous System Flashcards
What fast-growing European tree occurs in moist to periodically flooded habitats?
The white willow.
What species is the white willow classified as?
Salix.
Where have the salix species been used for medicinally?
Eurasia and North America.
What is the history of medical use of the white willow bark in Europe and North America?
Treating chronic pain, fevers, headache, gout, and related ailments.
Who was the German herbalist who provided a detailed account of the use of white willow bark for treating GI pain and chronic inflammation including gout?
Leonhard Fuchs (1501-1566)
What phenolics does willow bark contain?
Salicin and Salicylic acid.
What properties do salicin and salicylic acid possess?
They both have antipyretic (fever reducing) and analgesic (pain relieving) properties.
How does the antipyretic affect work?
The release of body heat following peripheral blood flow stimulation.
How does the analgesic affect work?
Central nervous system depression.
What is acid is an effective anti-inflammatory agents and reduces painful inflammation of the joints, muscles and tendons?
Salicylic acid.
What are the side effects of salicin and salicylic acid?
Gastric discomfort and nausea.
When did Bayer (19th century pharmaceutical company based in Germany) synthesize ASA, a close analogue of salicylic acid?
1899.
Who was ASA patented with?
Aspirin.
When was ASA original synthesized however not recognized?
1853.
What additional affects does ASA possess from the original antipyretic analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects?
Has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke and has been known to reduce the incidence of colorectal and other cancers.
What is angina, a condition that ASA treats?
Chest pains resulting from a shortage of oxygen to the heart muscle.
What is the most widely used pharmaceutical agent?
ASA. 50 million ASA tablets consumed daily.
What is the latest hypothesis regarding ether efficacy of willow bark extracts in treating chronic pain and inflammation?
Multiple compounds may be involved, lowering ability to heal when compared to ASA.
What is a small perennial herb belonging to the Solanaceae (Tomato) family?
The capsicum pepper.
Where is the capsicum pepper species native to?
South and Central America.
When was it first domesticated in South and Central America for its pungent hot flavour?
5000 years ago.
What does the capsicum pepper produce?
Small, erect, oblong orange-red fruits that are highly pungent.
What are the two main types of fruit produced from the capsicum pepper?
1) Oblong tobasco type.
2) Lantern shaped habanero type.
What is the name of the closely related pepper that includes bell or sweet peeps and the long slender pungent cayenne peppers?
The annual C.annuum (sweet pepper).
What is the pungency or hotness of the capsicum pepper fruit attributable to?
The proto-alkaloid capsaicin, which is concentrated in the placental tissues (tissues to which seeds are attached), with lesser amount in the fleshy portion.
Where is capsaicin entirely absent from?
The seeds, leaves, stems, and roots.
What does capsaicin act like in mammals, and mammals ALONE?
An irritant in which it produces a strong burning sensation (without damaging).
How does the burning sensation of capsaicin come to be?
Capsaicin binds to vanillin ion channel receptors that normally respond to excessive heat or physical abrasion. The binding results in false signal being sent to the brain mimicking the sensation of excessive heat.
What does this perception of pain also release?
Endorphins, resulting in a pleasurable sensation explaining the culinary popularity of the hot capsicum peppers.
What is a result of this capsaicin mimicking the sensation of excessive heat?
It will overwhelm neural transmission by mimicking this burning sensation resulting in neurotransmitter depletion, in turn reducing the sensation of pain over an extended period of time.
What are controlled does of capsaicin therefore used for?
Topical analgesics to relieve pain.
What is capsaicin incorporated into for this topical application?
Creamy ointments with compounds that increase peripheral blood flow for the relief of minor muscle aches and pains, arthritic pain, and muscle strains and sprains.
What does capsaicin also relieve pain from in regard to rashes and diseases like psoriasis?
Itching and inflammation.
What are higher doses of capsaicin recommended for?
The relief of pain associated with peripheral nervous system damage like shingles, viral infection of skin nerve cells that is a latent stage of chickenpox).
What are current clinical trials working on in regard to capsaicin?
Treating chronic post-surgical, arthritic, and joint muscle pain by injection of capsaicin and the site of pain.
Which additional properties of capsaicin allow for the killing of prostate cancer cells, and inhibiting the growth of leukaemia cells?
Its anti-cancer properties. Also possess anti-fungal and anti-microbial.
What is the active principle irritants of pepper sprays?
Capsaicin.
What is valerian classified as?
A hypnotic and sedative.