Cephaelis acuminata Ipecacuanha

The contribution of Rubiaceae to Western pharmaceuticals and medicine is substantial because it is the source for Uncaria gambier (Hunt.) Roxb. (Catechu, British Pharmaceutical Codex, 1963), Cephaelis ipecacuanha (Brot.) A. Rich. (uragoga ipecacuanha, Brazilian ipecacuanha), or Cephaelis acuminata Karsten (Cartagena ipecacuanha) (Ipecacuanha, British Pharmacopeia, 1963), Cinchona calisaya (yellow... 

Ipecac syrup is prepared from the dried rhizome and roots of Cephaelis ipecacuanha or Cephaelis acuminata, plants from Brazil and Central America that have the alkaloid emetine as their active principal ingredient. It acts directly on the CTZ and also indirectly by irritating the gastric mucosa. Ipecac is cardiotoxic if absorbed and can cause cardiac conduction disturbances, atrial fibrillation, or fatal myocarditis. If emesis does not occur, gastric lavage using a nasogastric tube must be performed. 

Syrup of ipecac is available as a nonprescription product in many countries. It is derived from the dried rhizome and roots of the Cephaelis ipecacuanha or Cephaelis acuminata plant. These plants contain the potent emetic alkaloids emetine and cephaeline, which induce vomiting by both direct local gastrointestinal effects and central nervous system actions. Emesis following syrup of ipecac ingestion typically occurs within 20 min of ingestion and persists for 30-120 min. 

Ipecacuanha root of the B.P. consists of the dried root or the rhizome and root of either Cephaelis ipecacuanha (Rio root) or Cephaelis acuminata (Cartagena, Nicaragua, or Panama root). Good samples of the former variety contain between 2 and 2 5 per cent of total alkaloids, of which 60 to 70 per cent is non-phenolic (calculated as emetine) and about 25 per cent cephaeline with small quantities of other alkaloids such as psychotrine. C. acuminata may yield more total alkaloids and some samples have been examined which contain well over 3 per cent. The proportion of non-phenolic alkaloids is lower in this variety, however, being of the order of 20 to 40 per cent. At one time C. ipecacuanha was the only official variety of ipecacuanha and a requirement was, therefore, included for non-phenolic alkaloids. This standard no longer applies although the amount of non-phenolic alkaloids present in a sample is still required for some commercial transactions. 

Rubiaceae, such as Cephaelis acuminata, Cephalis ipecacuanha, or Cephaelis accuminata. Ipecac alkaloids have powerful emetic and expectorant properties as well as anti-amoebic and antitumor activity, and some of them are widely used to treat amoebic dysentery (e.g., emetine and tubulosine), as well as schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, and malaria (e.g., emetine). Isoquinoline alkaloid crispine A exhibits cytotoxic activity against SKOV3, KB, and HeLa human cancer lines and was isolated from C. crispus by Zhao et al. ... 

An alkaloid present in ipecacuanha, the dried root, or rhizome and root, of Cephaelis ipecacuanha =Uragoga ipecacuanha) (Rubiaceae) or C. acuminata. 

Emetine occurs in the ground roots of ipecac (Uragoga ipecacuanha, Cephaelis ipecacuanha, Uragoga acuminata, and Rubi-aceae). Ipecacs are of two varieties, Brazilian and Cartagena. The former contains about... 

Small evergreen shrubs (or herbs according to certain authors), up to about 0.5 m high. Cephaelis ipecacuanha is native to the tropical forests of South America (Brazil and Bolivia), and C. acuminata is native to tropical Central... 

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