Ipecac was used as an insect repellant and amoebicide by South American Indians. It was introduced in Europe in the late 16th century and became well known in medicine. Ipecac is used as an expectorant and emetic and in the treatment of amoebic dysentery. Both emetine and synthetic drug 2,3-dehydro emetine are anti-amoebic and act…
Ipecacuanha or ipecac consists of the dried rhizomes and roots of Cephaelis ipecacuanha (Bortero) or Cephaelis acuminata (Karsten) (Rubiaceae). Commercial Importance Ipecac in the form of syrup is used in the treatment of drug overdose and poisoning for its emetic effect. Vomiting induced by emetine, a principal alkaloid of ipecac, is used as model to study the therapeutic effect…
Demand for cinchona and quinine products is increasing as they are extensively used not only as antimalarials, but huge quantities are also used in the manufacture of tonic drinks, and soft beverages. Salts of quinine are also added to hair oils, sunburn lotions, moth repellants, insecticides, vulcanization accelerators in rubber industry, polarized lenses and as…
A considerable number of alkaloids have been characterized in the bark, four of which account for 30% to 60% of the alklaoidal content. These are quinine, quinidine, cinchonidine and cinchonine. These are quinoline-containing structures representing two pairs of diastereoisomers. Quinine is usually the major component (one-half to two-thirds of total alkaloids), but the proportions of…
It consists of the dried bark of the stem and root of various species, races and hybrids of Cinchona (Rubiaceae). Commercial Importance There are about a dozen different cinchona species in commerce. Cinchona and its alkaloids particularly quinine were of great importance for use in the treatment of malaria before World War II. With the introduction of…
There exists a large market demand mainly from developed countries for liquorice due to its multiple usages. It is estimated that the global demand for liquorice extracts and roots is around 200–250 thousand tonnnes per year. In 2007 the total value of international trade in liquorice was US $42 million. Bulk of the drug in…
Liquorice has long been used in pharmacy as a flavouring agent, demulcent and mild expectorant. Many of the early claims for a broad spectrum of uses of the drugs are borne out by modern pharmacological research. Glycyrrhizin is reported to be 50–150 times sweeter than sucrose. Corticosteroid-like activity has been recognized with liquorice extracts displaying…
Liquorice contains about 20% water-soluble extracts and much of this is composed of glycyrrhizin which is typically 3% to 5% of the root, but upto 12% is found in some varieties. Glycyrrhizin is a mixture of the potassium and calcium salts of glycyrrhizinic acid. The bright yellow colour of the liquorice root is provided by…
In western Europe liquorice is cultivated, but the Russian and Persian drugs are obtained from wild plants. They are usually propagated by replanting young pieces of stolons but may be grown from the seed. The underground organs are developed to a sufficient extent (ensuring maximum sap sweetness) by the end of the third year when…
Most of liquorice produced is used in confectionary and for flavouring including tobacco, beers and stouts. Its pleasant sweet taste and foaming properties are due to saponins. It masks the taste of bitter drugs such as aloe, ammonium chloride and quinine, and increases the foaminess of alcoholic beverages to which it imparts a slightly bitter…