Drug Yielding Plants

1. Drug Yielding Plants
(Cinchona, Digitalis, Papaver and Cannabis)
By
Hem Chander
Assistant Professor (Botany)
Career Point University Hamirpur (HP) 176041
hemchander78@gmail.com

2. Cinchona officinalis
Family : Rubiaceae.
Habitat: Cultivated in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
English: Crown or Loxa Bark.
Ayurvedic: Quinine.
Unani : Al-keenaa, Kanakanaa.
Part Used: Bark

5. Action:
Antimalarial, febrifuge, astringent, orexigenic,
sapasmolytic. Also prescribed in amoebic dysentery,
jaundice, atonic dyspepsia, night cramps. Sometimes
causes gastric and intestinal irritation.
Key application:
In peptic discomforts such as bloating and fullness, loss
of appetite.

8. Digitalis purpurea
Family Scrophulariaceae.
Habitat: Native to West Europe. Cultivated in
Tangmarg and Kishtawar in Kashmir, Darjeeling and
the Nilgiris.
English: Digitalis, Foxglove.
Ayurvedic: Hritpatri, Tilapushpi (non-classical).
Part Used: Leaves

10. Action:
Main source of digoxin for the pharmaceutical
industry.
Digitalis glycosides increase the force of contraction
of heart without increasing the oxygen consumption
of heart without increasing the oxygen consumption
and slow the heart rate when auricular fibrillation is
present.
To be used only under strict medical supervision.

11. Digoxin

12. Papaver somniferum
Family: Papaveraceae.
Habitat: Native to Asia; now grown in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab,
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
English Opium Poppy.
English Opium Poppy.
Ayurvedic: Ahiphena, Aaphuuka. Post-daanaa (seed).
Unani: Afyum. Tukhm-ekhashkhaash (seed).
Part Used: Latex from buds, seeds.

15. Action:
Opium is obsolete as a drug. Narcotic, sedative, hypnotic,
analgesic, sudorific, anodyne, antispasmodic.
Crushed poppyheads were in use as a topical poultice for
crippling pain in terminal diseases.
Poppy seed—nutritive, demulcent, emollient, spasmolytic,
devoid of narcotic properties.
Specific against obstinate constipation, also used in catarrh of
the bladder.
Poppy seed oil is also free from narcotic properties. Used
against diarrhoea, dysentery and scalds.

16. Opium contains isoquinoline alkaloids; the major one is
morphine with narcotine, codeine, papaverine (morphine) and
thebaine. Poppy seeds, used in Indian medicine, do not contain
alkaloids.
The seeds contain thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid, pantothenic
acid and niacin.
acid and niacin.
The seed oil contains gamma-tocopherol, alpha-tocopherol and
beta-tocopherol. Some low-molecular proteins have been
isolated, along with cysteine, glutamic acid and arginine.
The seeds yield a fatty oil containing palmitic, stearic, oleic,
linoleic and linolenic acids.

17. Papaverine

18. Cannabis sativa
Family: Cannabinaceae.
Habitat: Cultivated all over the country. Commonly occurs in waste
grounds, along road side, often becoming gregarious along the
irrigation channels of gardens.
English: Hemp, Indian Hemp.
English: Hemp, Indian Hemp.
Ayurvedic: Vijayaa, Bhangaa, Maadani, Maatulaani, Indraasana,
Trailokya-vijayaa, Tribhuvanavijayaa, Shukranaashana, Ganjaa,
Bhangaa. (Bhangaa is consumed orally; Ganjaa and charas are
usually smoked.)
Unani: Bhang, Charas, Qinnab.
Part used: Seeds, Leaves.

21. Action:
Hallucinogenic, hypnotic, sedative, analgesic,
antiinflammatory, Hemp derivatives are suggested for
treating glaucoma and as an antiemetic in cancer
treating glaucoma and as an antiemetic in cancer
chemotherapy.
All variants produce initial excitement followed by
depression.

22. Cannabis yields 421 chemicals of various classes—
cannabinoids, cannabispirans and alkaloids.
More than 60 cannabinoids have been isolated, the
most important one is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC).
Toxic constituents are readily absorbed, excreted in
Toxic constituents are readily absorbed, excreted in
urine and feces, stored in lipid tissues, especially CNS,
crosses placenta.
High doses in animals have damaged developing
embryos and resulted in birth defects.