Page 24 - Pharmacognosy 02-06203

Action and Uses:

A number of pharmacologic activities have been ascribed to the periwinkle plant.
Vinblastine is used for the treatment of Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas.
Vincristine is used principally in the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukaemia in children.
The semi-synthetic vindesine is also used in the treatment of acute lymphoid leukaemia in
children. Vincristine has a superior antitumour activity compared to vinblastine, but is more
neurotoxic. Vinorelbine is a newer, orally active, semi-synthetic anhydro derivative of
8′norvinblastine with a broader anticancer activity and lower neurotoxic side-effects than the
other Catharanthus alkaloids.

Indian Hemp Cannabis ‫الحشيش‬

‫القنب الهندى‬

Indian Hemp is a leafy annual, some species of which attain heights of more than 10 feet. The
plant is dioecious showing male or female flowers.
The female plants have a heavy foliage, while the male plants are sparse.
Cannabis is the flowering and fruiting tops of the cultivated female plant Cannabis sativa var.
indica, family Cannabinaceae.
Cannabis is a narcotic herb and is most widely known as a psychoactive drug.

History:

Hemp has been cultivated for its seeds and fibers from a very remote period, but the narcotic
properties are usually not marked in plants grown in temperate regions, and even in India an
active drug can only be grown in certain districts.
Hemp is prepared from the pericyclic fibers of the stem of Cannabis sativa (Cannabinaceae). With
the exception of cannabis, the principal known hallucinogenic plants contain alkaloids related to
the neurophysiological transmitters noradrenaline and 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin).

Production of ganja:

This is legally only produced by a few licensed growers in Bengal, Mysore and Madras. The seed
is sown in rows about 1.3 m apart and male plants are eliminated as soon as they can be

22