Posted by chujoe on August 27, 2010, at 10:17:50
In reply to Lou's response-ehywheyowet-piprdin, posted by Lou Pilder on August 26, 2010, at 16:38:28
Ah, Lou, you've been reading Wikipedia again!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piperidine
"The piperidine structural motif is present in numerous natural alkaloids. These include piperine, which gives black pepper the hot taste. This gave the compound its name. Other examples are the fire ant toxin solenopsin[8], the nicotine analog anabasine of the Tree Tobacco (Nicotiana glauca), lobeline of the indian tobacco, the toxic alkaloid coniine from poison hemlock, which was used to put Socrates to death."
And here I put pepper on my eggs this morning! Should I go to the hospital? Call poison control?
Seriously now & with all due respect to you and your concern for people's health and well-being, Lou, I think you are drawing unwarranted conclusions from the biology & physiology of organic compounds. Just because a molecule has been used to craft an agent poisonous to, say rats, or even humans, does not mean that that molecule is poisonous in every compound, or in small amounts. It is true that some molecules are particularly biologically active, which makes them potent biological agents, sometimes harmful, sometimes healthful.
As long as we're quoting Wikipedia, here's another entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atropa_belladonna
"Atropa belladonna or Atropa bella-donna, commonly known as belladonna or deadly nightshade, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Solanaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. The foliage and berries are extremely toxic, containing tropane alkaloids. These toxins include scopolamine and hyoscyamine which cause a bizarre delirium and hallucinations,[1] and are also used as pharmaceutical anticholinergics. The drug atropine is derived from the plant."
The World Health Organization considers atropine one of the essential drugs that every clinic throughout the world ought to have on hand.
poster:chujoe
thread:959728
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100821/msgs/960133.html