Hypericaceae family

Among many others, well-known families rich in essential oil bearing species are Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Cupressaceae, Hypericaceae, Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae, Pinaceae, Piperaceae, Rutaceae, Santalaceae, Zingiberaceae and Zy-gophyllaceae [1-4, 8-11, 39]. 

L., family Hypericaceae. Hypericum contains flavonoids, xanthones, naphthodianthrones such as hypericin and pseudohypericin and phloroglucinols, e.g. hyperforin. Hypericin has anti-HIV activity and is responsible for the photosensitivity reaction which has been documented for St. John s Wort in cattle and... 

Chemicals that are potentially capable of phototoxic action have been Isolated from more than 30 flowering plant families. Their occurrence among Important monocot and dlcot families is shown in Table 1. Most of the taxa represented in this table synthesize several types of photosensitizers. Members of the Asteraceae (sunflower family) and the Rutaceae (citrus family) for example synthesize the widest range of phototoxic compounds. Other families (e.g., Hypericaceae, Llliaceae, Moraceae and Orchidaceae) either lack or fail to express such biosynthetic diversity. Plants from these latter groups contain phototoxins derived from a single metabolic pathway. 

Source Hypericum perforatum L. (Family Hypericaceae or Guttiferae). 

---