Categories: Medicinal Chemistry >> Natural Products, Toxicology

Mind-Altering and Poisonous Plants of the World

Description

Written by respected professors of botany and pharmaceutical biology, this is the definitive account of plants and mushrooms used for poison darts, traditional medicine, ceremonial and spiritual purposes, and recreational drugs. Hazardous plants are commonly used as garden ornamentals, potted plants, or florist flowers, yet many people are unaware of the dangers posed by the toxins derived from them. In addition to exploring plants that are ingested, the authors also treat plants that cause irritation and inflammation of the skin and mucous membranes. A special focus is given to psychoactive plants, which can have stimulant, sedative, hypnotic, narcotic, or hallucinogenic properties. These include coca, opium, cannabis, and scopolamine. Mind-Altering and Poisonous Plants of the World is a must for gardeners, farmers, veterinarians, botanists, pharmacists, chemists, doctors, and poison control centers.

Editorial Review

For those who expect the book “Mind-altering & Poisonous Plants of the World” to be a field guide, the actual Table of Contents will be a surprise in that the authors’ presentations cover a number of facets; thus, the term “poisons” is defined, the function of plant toxins is described, and even first-aid measures have been included. In the middle portion of the book, the reader will find an extensive range of monographs on individual plants, each of which is accompanied by brief descriptions and excellent photographs. Each plant is described in terms of its characteristics, with terse and pithy explanations provided regarding its occurrence, the toxins contained, and its use in traditional medicine, toxicity and symptoms. Naturally, the book’s target readership is pharmaceutical professionals and physicians, so that a basic medicinal vocabulary is necessary to understand the text in all of its detail. The authors are to be commended for the glossary at the end of the book, so that recourse to a technical dictionary is seldom necessary.

In the subsequent articles, molecular mechanisms of action are illustrated through highly schematic figures. Examples of the most important molecular targets of toxins are given here in a brief, precise and interesting manner. However, the real surprise of this book is the detailed discussion of secondary plant components, which are loosely organized into families. For selected active substances, the reader finds the structural formula, the plants in which they occur, and information on symptoms, toxicity, mechanisms of action, use and first-aid. Even where the structural formulas have been drawn hastily, in some cases bereft of stereodescriptors, the chapter still adds to the book, which as a whole is recommended for all chemists who have an interest in the toxins found in nature. In addition, "Mind-altering & Poisonous Plants of the World" is recommended to anyone who is interested in poisonous plants and their components. The extensive illustrations and cogent explanations make this book a good reference work for natural scientists, and a particularly good textbook for pharmaceutical professionals and students who are interested in toxicology.