Water hemlock, Cicuta

The common hemlock, Conium maculatum, contain five alkaloids. Power and Tutin found a similar mixture in fool s parsley, and a volatile alkaloid resembling coniine i.s stated to occur in certain aroids. According to Svagr, water hemlock Cicuta virosa) owes its poisonous properties to toxin and not to cicutine, a name sometimes used as a synonym for coniine. The toxic properties of hemlock juice have been known ftom very early times thus it was the chief ingredient in the poison administered to criminals by the Greeks. The leaves and the unripe fruits are the parts used in medicine. The following are the names and formulae of the alkaloids —... 

Jacobson, C. A. Cicutoxin The Poisonous Principle in Water Hemlock (Cicuta). J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 37, 916 (1915). 

Panter, K.E., Baker, D.C. and Kechele, P.O. (1996). Water hemlock (Cicuta douglasii). toxicosis in sheep Pathologic description and prevention of lesions and death, J. Vet. Diagn. Invest., 8, 474 480. 

Several polyacetylenes are known to be generally toxic. Thus the plant extract used by the natives of the Lower Amazon Basin as fish poison on their arrow heads contains the tetrahydropyran alcohol 18 as active principle (it also occurs in dahlias ), whilst the high toxicity of the water hemlock (Cicuta virosa L.) is due to cicutoxin (17) . ... 

Conium Maculatum can grow to be about 6 to 10 tall on long purple stalks and branches. White flower heads resemble those of parsnips, carrots, and water hemlock(Cicuta Virosa)... 

Water hemlock Cicuta maculata 1 Cicutoxin seizures... 

Panter KE, Keeler RF (1988) The hemlocks poison-hemlock (Conium maculatum) and water hemlock (Cicuta spp.). In James L, Ralphs M, Nielsen D (eds) The ecology and... 

The acetylenes oenanthotoxin (110) and cicutoxin (111) (Figure 5.11) isolated from water-hemlock (Cicuta virosa L.), spotted water-hemlock (Cicuta maculata L.), and from the hemlock water dropwort, Oenanthe crocataL. (Apiaceae) (Anet etal. 1953 Konoshima... 

Wittstock, U., Fladacek, F., Wurz, G. et al (1995) Polyacetylenes from water hemlock, Cicuta virosa. PlantaMed., 61,439-145. 

Cicutoxin offidnalis (valerian) (Valerianacaeae) Cicuta virosa (water hemlock) GABAA-R chloride channel... 

Caucalis (burr parsley) Centella (centella) Chaerophyllum (chervil) Cicuta (water hemlock) Cnidium (snow parsley) Conioselinum (hemlock parsley)... 

Cicuta maculata, or water hemlock, produces the most deadly toxin indigenous to North America. 

False parsley CIcuta maculate 1 Water hemlock cicutoxin causes seizures. 

Snake root CIcuta macutata 1 Water hemlock seizures... 

In contrast, certain other acetylenes are highly toxic to humans and domestic animals for instance, the compounds from Cicuta virosa (water hemlock) (10) and Oenanthe cro-cata (9). Relatively small variations in structure lead to nearly nontoxic compounds. Other compounds such as falc-arinol (11) are less toxic to people, but still possess antifungal properties. Compounds of this type occur widely in mem-... 

It also occurs in the plant Aethusa cynapium L. (Apiaceae) (Fool s Parsley), Cicuta maculata L. Apiaceae) (water hemlock). 

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