Page 37 - Pharmacognosy-I (02-06-06-102)
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Stramonium Seeds (Thornapple Seeds)
Medicinal parts: Dried ripe seeds of Datura stramonium, family
Solanaceae.
Constituents:
- Stramonium seeds contain 0.16 to 0.5% of total alkaloids (Tropane
alkaloids) consisting of hyoscyamine with traces of scopolamine (hyoscine)
and possibly of atropine.
Uses: Tropane alkaloids has parasympatholytic effects
The seeds or their alkaloids (Hyoscyamin, atropine or hyoscine) are used as
mydriatic (for fundus examination), (GIT spasms and asthma) and they can
decrease the saliva secretions, thus they can be used for the pre-operative
preparations.
بذور الخروعCastor Seed
Medicinal parts: The dried ripe seeds of Ricinus communis, Family
Europhorbiaceae.
Constituents:
1- Castor seeds contain about 50% of fixed oil, which consists of the
glycerides of ricinolic, isoricinolic (unsaturated fatty acids), stearic ,
dihydroxy stearic acids (saturated fatty acids) and about 26% of proteins.
2-The cake left after the expression of the oil called pomace, containing
extremely poisonous toxins known as ricins , which make it unfit for use as a
cattle food . they produce in the body an antitoxin(antiricin).
(7mg of ricins being fatal to an adult)
3- Destruction of ricins is done by subjected the cake(pomace)to steam
treatment and the detoxified pomace is used as fertilizer.
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