Page 147 - Pharmacognosy-II (06-PG 303)

• It is olive green in color. It possesses plastic texture when fresh and
characteristic odor and very bitter taste.

Important definitions:

• Opium: mixture of alkaloids derived from Papaver somniferum.
• An Opiate: is any of the naturally occurring narcotic alkaloids found in

the opium poppy plant. e.g. morphine and codeine.
• An Opioid : is any natural or synthetic compound which has morphine-

like action.
• e.g. the natural peptides discovered in the brain that called Endogenous

opioid peptides e.g. enkephalins and endorphins.

Constituents:

Alkaloids combined with the organic acid meconic acid.

A. Phenanthrene group:
1. Morphine named after Morpheus the god of sleep.

• Most effective pain killer (cancer, before and after anaethesia).
• Antiperistaltic in diarrhea (can cause constipation)
• respiratory depressant (act on brain center).
• It is addictive.
• Eye pupil constrictor
• Slight drop in temperature and sweating.
Morphine is phenolic, can be seperated from other alkaloids by shaking with
NaOH.

Heroin

• Diacetyl morphine
• It is an illegal highly addictive drug

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