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Published in Michael J. O’Dowd, The History of Medications for Women, 2020
Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) was taken alone, or in beer, for difficult labor and contains hyoscine and hyocyamine. Henbane was one of the drugs used in the ‘soporific sponge’ and was employed as an (unreliable) anesthetic in Greece and Rome. It was used world-wide until this century and was included in the major pharmacopoeias as a sedative and antispasmodic. It had less objectionable side-effects than Opium (Squire, 1908 pp. 644–5).
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Published in Anton Sebastian, A Dictionary of the History of Medicine, 2018
Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) Used as a medicine by ancient Greek physicians such as Dioscorides and Celsus to induce sleep and allay pain. In mythology the dead in Hades were crowned with henbane as they wandered beside the river Styx. Benedictus Crispus (AD 681), archbishop of Milan named it ‘symphonica’ or ‘hyocyasmus’. According to an American medical observer, John Josselyn in New England’s Rarities Discovered, the plant was naturalized in North America before 1672. It is referred to as ‘henbell’ in the Anglo-Saxon works on medicine in the 11th century. It was omitted from the London Pharmacopoeia in 1746 on the recommendation of Johannes Storch (1681–1751) who initially used it in the treatment of epilepsy, nervous and convulsive diseases. It was reintroduced in 1809.
Antagonists at Muscarinic Cholinergic Receptors
Published in Kenneth J. Broadley, Autonomic Pharmacology, 2017
The chief source of the naturally occurring alkaloids with muscarinic blocking activity is among the Solanaceous plants. Atropine is the racemate, (±)-hyoscyamine (Table 9.1), (−)-hyoscyamine being found in the leaves, root and berries of the Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna). The properties of belladonna preparations as poisons and medicines were known in the Middle Ages and in the times of the Roman Empire. The name Atropa belladonna was given by Linnaeus after Atropos of Greek mythology, the oldest of the Three Fates, whose task was to cut the thread of life. The name belladonna is reputedly derived from the Italian for ‘beautiful woman’ and attributed to the practice of instilling belladonna extracts into the eyes; the dilated pupils making the eyes appear larger and more attractive. As medicinal agents, plants containing atropine were first introduced into Western medicine in the early 1800s. The root, leaves and seeds of Datura stramonium (known as Jimson or Jamestown weed, thornapple, stinkweed and devil’s apple), which are also rich sources of (−)-hyoscyamine, had been burned and the smoke inhaled for relief of asthma. However, it was not until the 1920s that atropine was used for premedication prior to surgery. The closely related alkaloid, hyoscine (scopolamine), is found in the leaves and flowering top of the shrub Hyoscyamus niger (black henbane), which also contains substantial levels of (−)-hyoscyamine (Martindale 1989).
Genetic improvement of pyrethrum (Tanacetum cinerariifolium Sch. Bip.) through gamma radiation and selection of high yield stable mutants through seven post-radiation generations
Published in International Journal of Radiation Biology, 2021
Raj Kishori Lal, Chandan Singh Chanotiya, Pankhuri Gupta, Anand Mishra, Madan Mohan Gupta
The critical perusal of results indicated that the most economic trait the mean pyrethrin (%) over four years, the mutant 7 (40 Gy-5) was showed the highest percentage of increase = 87.23% over the check variety ‘Avadh’ followed by mutant 10 (40 Gy-8) = 59.78%; 14 (60 Gy 19-10) = 48.34%, and 1 (20 Gy-3) = 47.83% in order (Table 6). The one or two loci regulating genetics of the instability of the floral structures or other characters may be the explanation for high mutagenesis sensitivity than polygenic characteristics, where plant alterations are tolerated by an integrated co-adapted gene complex. The polygenic alterations due to mutagenesis have been used with effectiveness in the development of varieties in Hyoscyamus niger (Lal et al. 1999; Lal and Khanuja 2003; Lal et al. 2004; Sharma et al. 2004; Lal 2006) and in Chamomilla recutita (Lal and Khanuja 2007; Lal et al. 2010; Lal et al. 2019). The changes in means and variances of yield traits could be utilized to select promising mutants of pyrethrum. As an outcome of high mutagenic efficiency and conducive screening in the initial evaluation trial and multi-years bench-scale field trials, the two promising mutants, namely 7 (40 Gy-5), and 10 (40 Gy-80 were isolated (Table 5-6, Figure 3). These two mutants are in the pipeline for release as variety (s) for commercial cultivation in the north Indian plain.
Contributions of Avicenna to surgery and anesthesiology
Published in Acta Chirurgica Belgica, 2020
In case it is alluring to get an individual rapidly oblivious, without hurting him, add sweet smelling moss to the wine, or Aquilaria sinensis. If a deeply unconscious state is desirable, then add an infusion of Lolium persicum into the wine, or administer Fumaria officinalis, Papaver somniferum and Hyoscyamus niger [half dram dose or 1.84 ml of each]; Myristica fragrans and Aquilaria sinensis [4 grain or 0.25 g of each]. Add this to the wine, andgive as much as is needed. Or on the other hand boil Hyoscyamus niger in water, with Mandragora officinarum bark until it becomes red. Add this to the wine [18].