Ch 1: Medicinal Plants in Human Health

peruvian bark/quina quina binomial

Cinchona officinalis

named by Linnaeus for the Countess of Chinchon, who was afflicted with malaria and healed

active compound in Cinchona, and where it’s found

quinine

found in bark

isolated in 1820s

percentage of modern medicines that are plant-derived

40%

(70% of which correlate with native tribal medicine)

indigenous population that used quina quina

Andes natives

indigenous use for quina quina

to treat high fever

European use for Peruvian bark

malaria treatment

modern use for quinine

tonic water, malaria medicine

Pacific yew binomial

Taxus brevifolia

active compounds in Pacific yew, and where it’s found

phytochemicals (taxol)

found in bark

chemo drug made from taxol

Onxal (Paclitaxel)

properties and uses of the actives in Pacific yew

antitumor properties

used to treat breast and ovarian cancers

unique points about Pacific yew

rare gymnosperm (conifer) in medicine

trees must be old (>100 yrs) to yield taxol in the bark
a symbiotic fungus allows taxol to be extracted from fungus without bark, if cultivated

isolation/discovery of taxol

Robert Holton cloned tissues to produce bark

FSU 1991

English yew (aka European yew) binomial

Taxus baccata

drug produced from English yew

Docetaxel

rosy periwinkle binomial (aka Madagascar periwinkle)

Catharanthus roseus

active compounds in rosy periwinkle, and where they’re found

alkaloids: vincristine, vinblastine

extracted from leaves

effect and treatment of rosy periwinkle

alkaloids control cell division

treats childhood leukemia, Hodgkins disease, lymphoma, sarcoma, breast cancer, etc (other cancers)

white willow binomial

Salix alba

active compound in white willow, and where it’s found

salicin (and other glycosides)

from branches (bark)

uses for white willow in 18th century

treated fever and chills; by Reverend Edmund Stone

preparation of white willow in 18th century

mashed bark was used to make a tea

bark was often dried, could also be fresh

initial uses for salicin (in 1828)

gout, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever, osteoarthritis

by J. Buchner

modern uses for salicin

skin conditions (e.g. acne)

drug developed from white willow

aspirin

discovered by Felix Hoffman at Bayer in 1898

How did aspirin get its name?

“a” from acetyl salicylic acid

“spirin” from spiraea, the plant genus

effects/treatment uses of aspirin

anti-inflammatory

antipyretic (anti-fever)

analgesic

sweet wormwood (aka Chinese wormwood) binomial

Artemisia annua

active compound derived from sweet wormwood

artemisinin

purpose/type of compounds derived from artemisinin

malaria-treating compounds

discovery/extraction of artemisinin

Tu Youyou extracted it based on ancient Chinese manuscripts

won the 2015 Nobel Prize

drug made from modified artemisinin, and its effect

Coartem

anti-malarial drug

approved in US in 2009

importance of artemisinin in history

during Vietnam War, served as important malaria treatment

quinine was not abundant enough for malaria treatment, and disease was rampant

sweet clover binomial

Melilotus officinalis

inactive compound in sweet clover

coumarin

tastes very bitter

How is the inactive compound in sweet clover converted to an active?

fermentation

active compound in sweet clover, after fermentation

dicoumarol

effect of dicoumarol

anticoagulant

drug made from synthetic dicoumarol, and its effect

Warfarin

blood thinner, prevents blood clots

usual patients who get prescribed warfarin

victims of heart attack or stroke

How was the name for warfarin derived?

Wisconsin Alumni Research Fund → WARF

-arin came from coumarin

What plant is this?

Peruvian bark/quina quina (Cinchona officinalis)

What plant is this?

Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia)

What plant is this?

English yew (Taxus baccata)

What plant is this?

rosy periwinkle/Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)

What plant is this?

white willow (Salix alba)

What plant is this?

sweet wormwood/Chinese wormwood (Artemisia annua)

What plant is this?

sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis)