Boschniakia rossica

Bu lai cas Boschniakia rossica) used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat senile dementia. shown to have strong free radical scavenging activity. animal study showed improved learning discrimination performance and normalization of behavior in basal forebrain-lesioned rats. 

Tusuda, T Reinforcemenl effecls of Boschniakia rossica on discrimination learning in cholinergic lesions in rats," Journal of Eihnopharmacology, 1994, 44, pp 67-71. 

Occurrence B. was first isolated from Boschniakia rossica (Orobanchaceae). It was later found in the tropical American endemic plant Leucocarpus perfo-liatus (Scrophulariaceae) B. exhibits, like nepetalac-tone (see iridodial) and the valepotriates a strongly attractive action on cats and other cat-like predatory animals. ... 

The compounds iridomyrmecin (1) and iridodial (2) serve as defensive compounds in ants of the genus Iridomyrmex. Nepetalactone (29), from Nepeta cataria, Lamiaceae, is insecticidal. Eisner (1964) demonstrated that this compound is repellent to 17 out of 24 insect species studied. Nepetalactone also has been reported to have hallucinogenic properties in humans. Nepetalactone and a similar compound, boschni-alactone (40) from Boschniakia rossica (Orobanchaceae), have attractive activity toward cats (Herout, 1970) (Fig. 20.9). These compounds occur free, in contrast to most iridoid compounds. 

Boschnaside (8-epi-iridodial glucoside) (24) 131-132 (tetraacetate) Boschniakia rossica... 

Murai F, Tagawa M (1982) 8-Epi-iridodial glucoside from Boschniakia rossica. Planta Med 46 45 7... 

Sakan, T., F. Murai, S. Isoe, S. BeHyeon, and Y. Hayashi Biologically Active Cg-, Cio- and Cn-Terpenes from Actinidia polygama, Boschniakia rossica, and Menyanthes. J. Chem. Soc. Japan90,507 (1969) (Jap.) Chem. Abstr. 71,53479k(1969). 

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