Medicinal plants Flashcards
(37 cards)
What parasite causes malaria? How is it transmitted?
Plasmodium. Transmitted in blood carried by mosquitoes
Young children constitute what percentage of malaria fatalities? In what part of the world?
77%. Sub-Saharan Africa
What famous figure is known to have died of malaria?
Alexander the Great
What medicine was used by the Quecha people of South America to treat Malaria? How was this made know to Europeans? When?
quina quina given to the Spanish viceroy in Peru to help treat his dying wife (in 1692)
When did the Quecha malaria cure begin getting exported to Europe? By who?
The Spanish began exporting quina quina ~1600 from South America back to Europe
What succesful “plant hunter” succeeded in growing the chinchona trees (quina quina producers) elsewhere? Where? When?
Clements Markham brought the tree to the British botanical gardens in India ~1800
What European power took over production of the quina quina malaria cure? Where did they cultivate this?
The Dutch began cultivation in Java and became the dominant producers
To what family do the Chinchona trees belong to? What part is harvested to make the quina quina malaria cure?
Rubiaceae, the coffee family. The bark is used for the medicine
What is the active ingredient in quina quina?
Quinine, an alkaloid
What new medicine has replaced quinine as a more effective malaria treatment?
artemisinins
What family does the Artemesia annua plant (producer of anti-malaria artemisinins) belong to? What other common name does it have?
Part of the sunflower family, often called “sweet wormwood”
Who discovered the anti-malaria properties of artemisinins? When? What is the active ingredient?
Chinese chemist Youyou Tu found this effective recipe from long ago and had begun human trials by 1972. Active ingredient is sesquiterpene lactone (not an alkaloid)
What percentage of current medicines are derived from plant origin? What percentage still contain plant compounds?
75% derived from plants, 25% still contain plant compounds
What is the oldest record of plants being used for medicine? When was it created?
A 4000 year old Sumerian clay tablet with various herbal remedies
To what famous figure was the Chinese herbal text “Pun-tsao” attributed?
Emperor Shen Nung (of tea creation fame)
What is the significance of the Ebers papyrus? When was it written?
From Egypt, it contains many prescriptions and uses >700 different plants. Written ~3500 years ago
From the ancient medicinal texts discussed, how many of the included herbs are still commonly used today?
~250 herbs still used in modern times
What 2 major roles do plants play in medicine? What makes a plant most useful for medicine?
- Herbal medicines
- Source of pharmaceutical chemicals
The most useful plants are rich in a unique compound
What are the 5 common targets for biological activity when creating medicines?
- Cancer cells
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Fungi
- Parasites
How do researchers determine which plants to test for medicinally useful biological activity? What term is used to describe this?
Search cultural knowledge and observe animal use. This is called pharmacognosy
What are the 2 main attributes of a good drug chemical?
- Highly specific to target
2. Low toxicity
What percentage of anti-cancer drugs have natural origins?
60%
Of the potential compounds sampled for pharmacological use, how many become a useful commercial drug? How long does this take?
1 in 250 000 become a commercial drug. This process takes between 8-15 years
Have technology and instrumentation improvements decreased the time it takes to produce a commercially useful drug?
No
