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Griffonia Simplicifolia
''Griffonia simplicifolia'' (syn. ''Bandeiraea simplicifolia'' Benth.) is a woody climbing shrub native to West Africa and Central Africa. It grows to about 3 m, and bears greenish flowers followed by black pods. Taxonomy and early study The genus ''Griffonia'' was named by botanist Henri Baillon in honour of his friend and fellow physician Marie-Théophile Griffon du Bellay, explorer of Gabon, pioneer in the study of sleeping sickness and also of the African entheogen Iboga, source of the alkaloid ibogaine. Griffon de Bellay undertook an early study of the properties of ''G. simplicifolia''. Chemical constituents The seeds of the plant are used as a herbal supplement for their 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) content. 5-Hydroxytryptophan is an important building block for the human body to form serotonin, a neurotransmitter. In one "randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial" in 2010 ''Griffonia simplicifolia'' extract, administered via oral spray to twenty overweight fem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alphonse Pyramus De Candolle
Alphonse Louis Pierre Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (28 October 18064 April 1893) was a French-Swiss botanist, the son of the Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle. Biography De Candolle, son of Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, first devoted himself to the study of law, but gradually drifted to botany and finally succeeded to his father's chair at the University of Geneva. He published a number of botanical works, including continuations of the ''Prodromus'' in collaboration with his son, Casimir de Candolle. Among his other contributions is the formulation, based on his father's work for the ''Prodromus'', of the first Laws of Botanical Nomenclature, which was adopted by the International Botanical Congress in 1867, and was the prototype of the current ICN. He was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1859 and was awarded the Linnean Medal of the Linnean Society of London in 1889. He was elected a foreign member of the Royal Netherlands Aca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Entheogen
Entheogens are psychoactive substances that induce alterations in perception, mood (psychology), mood, consciousness, cognition, or behavior for the purposes of engendering spiritual development or otherwiseRätsch, Christian, ''The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications'' pub. Park Street Press 2005 in sacred contexts. Anthropological study has established that entheogens are used for religion, religious, Magic (supernatural), magical, shamanism, shamanic, or spirituality, spiritual purposes in many parts of the world. Entheogens have traditionally been used to supplement many diverse practices geared towards achieving Transcendence (religion), transcendence, including divination, meditation, yoga, sensory deprivation, healings, asceticism, prayer, trance, rituals, chanting, Imitation of sounds in shamanism, imitation of sounds, hymns like peyote songs, Drum circle, drumming, and ecstatic dance. The Psychedelic drug, psychedelic experience ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cercidoideae
Cercidoideae is a subfamily in the pea family, Fabaceae. Well-known members include ''Cercis'' (redbuds), including species widely cultivated as ornamental trees in the United States and Europe, ''Bauhinia'', widely cultivated as an ornamental tree in tropical Asia, and ''Tylosema'' , a semi-woody genus of Africa. The subfamily occupies a basal position within the Fabaceae and is supported as monophyly, monophyletic in many molecular phylogenetics, molecular phylogenies. At the 6th International Legume Conference, the Legume Phylogeny Working Group proposed elevating the tribe Cercidae to the level of subfamily within the Leguminosae (Fabaceae). The consensus agreed to the change, which was fully implemented in 2017. It has the following clade-based definition: The most inclusive crown clade containing ''Cercis canadensis'' L. and ''Bauhinia divaricata'' L. but not ''Poeppigia procera'' C.Presl, ''Duparquetia orchidacea'' Baill., or ''Bobgunnia fistuloides'' (Harms) J.H.Kirkbr. & W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Medicinal Plants Of Africa
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness. Contemporary medicine applies biomedical sciences, biomedical research, genetics, and medical technology to diagnose, treat, and prevent injury and disease, typically through pharmaceuticals or surgery, but also through therapies as diverse as psychotherapy, external splints and traction, medical devices, biologics, and ionizing radiation, amongst others. Medicine has been practiced since prehistoric times, and for most of this time it was an art (an area of skill and knowledge), frequently having connections to the religious and philosophical beliefs of local culture. For example, a medicine man would apply herbs and say prayers for healing, or an anci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Legume Lectin
{{Infobox protein family , Symbol = Lectin_legB , Name = Legume lectin domain (or L-type lectin domain) , image = PDB 1lem EBI.jpg , width = , caption = Structure of the monosaccharide binding site of lentil lectin.{{cite journal , vauthors=Loris R, Casset F, Bouckaert J, etal , title=The monosaccharide binding site of lentil lectin: an X-ray and molecular modelling study , journal=Glycoconj. J. , volume=11 , issue=6 , pages=507–17 , date=December 1994 , pmid=7696853 , doi= 10.1007/bf00731301, s2cid=20037257 , Pfam = PF00139 , Pfam_clan = CL0004 , InterPro = IPR001220 , SMART = , PROSITE = PDOC00278 , MEROPS = , SCOP = 1lem , TCDB = , OPM family = , OPM protein = , PDB = {{PDB2, 1apn, {{PDB2, 1avb, {{PDB2, 1ax0, {{PDB2, 1ax1, {{PDB2, 1ax2, {{PDB2, 1axy, {{PDB2, 1axz, {{PDB2, 1azd, {{PDB2, 1bjq, {{PDB2, 1bqp, {{PDB2, 1bxh, {{PDB2, 1bzw, {{PDB2, 1ces, {{PDB2, 1ciw, {{PDB2, 1cjp, {{PDB2, 1cn1, {{PDB2, 1con, {{PDB2, 1cq9, {{PDB2, 1cr7, {{PDB2, 1cvn, {{PDB2, 1dbn, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Serotonin
Serotonin () or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Its biological function is complex and multifaceted, modulating mood, cognition, reward, learning, memory, and numerous physiological processes such as vomiting and vasoconstriction. Approximately 90% of the serotonin that the body produces is in the intestinal tract. Biochemically, the indoleamine molecule derives from the amino acid tryptophan, via the (rate-limiting) hydroxylation of the 5 position on the ring (forming the intermediate 5-hydroxytryptophan), and then decarboxylation to produce serotonin. Serotonin is primarily found in the enteric nervous system located in the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract). However, it is also produced in the central nervous system (CNS), specifically in the raphe nuclei located in the brainstem, Merkel cells located in the skin, pulmonary neuroendocrine cells and taste receptor cells in the tongue. Additionally, serotonin is stored in blood platelets and is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
5-Hydroxytryptophan
5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), also known as oxitriptan, is a naturally occurring amino acid and chemical precursor as well as a metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Uses 5-HTP is sold over the counter in the United States, Canada, Singapore, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom as a dietary supplement for use as an antidepressant, appetite suppressant, and sleep aid. It is also marketed in many European countries for the indication of major depression under the trade names Cincofarm, Levothym, Levotonine, Oxyfan, Telesol, Tript-OH, and Triptum. A 2002 review concluded that although the data evaluated suggests that 5-HTP is more effective than placebo in the treatment of depression, the evidence was insufficient to be conclusive due to a lack of clinical data meeting the rigorous standards of the day. More and larger studies using current methodologies are needed to determine if 5-HTP is truly effective in treating depression. In small ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ibogaine
Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive substance found in plants in the family Apocynaceae such as ''Tabernanthe iboga'', ''Voacanga africana'', and ''Tabernaemontana undulata''. It is a psychedelic with dissociative properties. Preliminary research indicates that it may help counter drug addiction. Its use has been associated with serious side effects and death. Between the years 1990 and 2008, a total of 19 fatalities temporally associated with the ingestion of ibogaine were reported, from which six subjects died of acute heart failure or cardiopulmonary arrest. The total number of subjects who have used it without major side effects during this period remains unknown. It is used as an alternative medicine treatment for drug addiction in some countries. Its prohibition in other countries has slowed scientific research. Ibogaine is also used to facilitate psychological introspection and spiritual exploration. Various derivatives of ibogaine designed to lack psychedel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tabernanthe Iboga
''Tabernanthe iboga'' (iboga) is an evergreen rainforest shrub native to Central Africa. A member of the Apocynaceae family indigenous to Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Congo, it is cultivated across Central Africa for its medicinal and other effects. In African traditional medicine and rituals, the yellowish root or bark is used to produce hallucinations and near-death outcomes, with some fatalities occurring. In high doses, ibogaine is considered to be toxic, and has caused serious comorbidities when used with opioids or prescription drugs. The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) lists ibogaine as a controlled substance of the Controlled Substances Act. Description Iboga is native to tropical forests, preferring moist soil in partial shade. It bears dark green, narrow leaves and clusters of white tubular flowers on an erect and branching stem, with yellow-orange fruits resembling Chili pepper , Normally growing to a height of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
African Trypanosomiasis
African trypanosomiasis, also known as African sleeping sickness or simply sleeping sickness, is an insect-borne parasitic infection of humans and other animals. It is caused by the species ''Trypanosoma brucei''. Humans are infected by two types, ''Trypanosoma brucei gambiense'' (TbG) and '' Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense'' (TbR). TbG causes over 98% of reported cases. Both are usually transmitted by the bite of an infected tsetse fly and are most common in rural areas. Initially, the first stage of the disease is characterized by fevers, headaches, itchiness, and joint pains, beginning one to three weeks after the bite. Weeks to months later, the second stage begins with confusion, poor coordination, numbness, and trouble sleeping. Diagnosis is by finding the parasite in a blood smear or in the fluid of a lymph node. A lumbar puncture is often needed to tell the difference between first- and second-stage disease. If the disease is not treated quickly it can lead to death. P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henri Ernest Baillon
Henri Ernest Baillon was a French botanist and physician. He was born in Calais on 30 November 1827 and died in Paris on 19 July 1895. Baillon spent his professional life as a professor of natural history, and he published numerous works on botany. He was appointed to the Légion d'honneur in 1867 and joined the Royal Society in 1894. Baillon put together the "Dictionnaire de botanique", for which Auguste Faguet produced the wood engravings. The plant genus '' Baillonia'' (family Verbenaceae) was named in his honor by Henri Théophile Bocquillon Henri Théophile Bocquillon (5 June 1834, Crugny – 15 May 1884, Paris) was a French botanist. In Paris, he successively worked as an instructor at the Lycée Napoleon (from 1858), Lycée Louis-le-Grand (from 1862), Lycée Henri-IV (from 186 .... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo on the east and south, and the Gulf of Guinea to the west. It has an area of nearly and its population is estimated at million people. There are coastal plains, mountains (the Cristal Mountains and the Chaillu Massif in the centre), and a savanna in the east. Since its independence from France in 1960, the sovereign state of Gabon has had three presidents. In the 1990s, it introduced a multi-party system and a democratic constitution that aimed for a more transparent electoral process and reformed some governmental institutions. With petroleum and foreign private investment, it has the fourth highest HDI in the region (after Mauritius, Seychelles and South Africa) and the fifth highest GDP per capita (PPP) i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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