Cassava plant

At one time amygdalin, sold as Laetrile, was promoted as a treatment for cancer, presumably based on the hope that the cancer cells would be poisoned by the released cyanide.1 The tubers and leaves of the cassava plant provide a major source of food in many tropical countries. However, unless the cyanogenic glycosides are removed by boiling the tubers and pulping the leaves cassava is... 

We saw an example In Chapter 6 where acetone cyanohydrin is found in the cassava plant as a glucoside and suitable precautions must be taken when eating cassava to avoid poisoning byHCN. 

The cassava plant has also been responsible for a number of poisoning cases and can be a major problem in parts of the world where the crop is... 

Taylor, N., Chavarriaga, R, Reamakers, K., Siritunga, D. and Zhang, P. (2004) Development and application of transgenic technologies in cassava. Plant Mol. Biol, 56, 671-88. 

Manihot Esculenta Common Names Cassava Plant, Manioc, Tapioca, Tapioca Plant Poison Cyanide (Organic)... 

In folk medicine, the Cassava plant is used for the treatment of abscesses. 

Cyanide is usually found joined with other chemicals to form compounds. Examples of simple cyanide compounds are hydrogen cyanide, sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide. Cyanide can be produced by certain bacteria, fungi, and algae, and it is found in a number of foods and plants. In the body, cyanide combines with a chemical to form Vitamin B12. Cyanide occurs naturally in cassava roots, which are potato-like tubers of cassava plants grown in tropical countries. 

Improvement of somatic embryogenesis and plant recovery in cassava. Plant Cell Reports, Vol. 12, No. 6 (April 1993), pp. 328-333, ISSN 0721-7714... 

Improvement of somatic embryogenesis and plant recovery in cassava Plant Cell Reports, 12 328-333... 

Starch adhesives are derived primarily from the cassava plant, although other starch sources may be used. Starch is usually heated in alkaline solutions, such as NaOH, followed by cooling to room temperature to prepare the dispersions. After cooling, they are applied as cold-press adhesives. They develop their strength by loss of water into a wood substrate. Tack is developed rapidly normal wood processing takes 1-2 days at room... 

Diterpenes Gibberellins (D 6.3) Products of Fusarium monilU forme (Gibberella fujikuroi) and Sphaceloma manihoticola, causing elongation of internodes of rice and cassava plants, respectively, due to interference with the hormone metabolism of the host... 

This is a small tropical shrub, the roots of which are eaten or used to make tapioca. Cassava belongs to the same family (Euphorbiaceae) as the tung tree (noted for its oil-bearing nuts), rubber tree, and castor bean. There are two main kinds of cassava—bitter cassava (Manihot esculenta) which is used to make tapioca, and sweet cassava (M. dulcis M. aipi, or M. utilissima) which is eaten like potatoes. Lig. C-30 shows a typical cassava plant. 

The leaves of the cassava plant are nutritionally superior to the tubers with respect to protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, the vitamin B complex, and vitamin C. However, the leaves often contain sufficient amounts of cyanide compounds to warrant special processing to make them safe. 

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