Voacanga Africana
''Voacanga africana'' is a small tree native to tropical Africa belonging to the family Apocynaceae that grows to in height and bears leaves that are up to in length. The yellow or white flowers are succeeded by paired, follicular, dehiscent fruit with a mottled green exocarp and a pulpy, yellow mesocarp surrounding the seeds. The plant contains alkaloids acting as CNS depressants and hypotensives Description ''Voacanga africana'' is a small tree up to tall with a spreading crown. The leaves are in opposite pairs, dark glossy green above and paler green below. The white or yellow flowers are in small bunches borne either in leaf axils or at the end of shoots. The spherical, dark green fruits, dappled with paler green, grow usually in pairs and contain seeds embedded in a yellow pulp. History ''Voacanga africana'' was named by botanist Otto Stapf in 1894 after he received a type specimen from George Scott-Elliot, who had been participating in the Sierra Leone Boundary Commi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Otto Stapf (botanist)
Otto Stapf FRS (23 April 1857, in Perneck near Bad Ischl – 3 August 1933, in Innsbruck) was an Austrian born botanist and taxonomist, the son of Joseph Stapf, who worked in the Hallstatt salt-mines. He grew up in Hallstatt and later published about the archaeological plant remains from the Late Bronze- and Iron Age mines that had been uncovered by his father. Stapf studied botany in Vienna under Julius Wiesner, where he received his PhD with a dissertation on cristals and cristalloids in plants. 1882 he became assistant professor (''Assistent'') of Anton Kerner. In 1887 he was made '' Privatdozent'' (lecturer without a chair) in Vienna. He published the results of an expedition Jakob Eduard Polak, the personal physician of Nasr al-Din, the Shah of Persia, had conducted in 1882, and plants collected by Felix von Luschan in Lycia and Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Voacangine
Voacangine (12-methoxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid methyl ester) is an alkaloid found predominantly in the root bark of the ''Voacanga africana'' tree, as well as in other plants such as ''Tabernanthe iboga'', ''Tabernaemontana africana'', ''Trachelospermum jasminoides'', ''Tabernaemontana divaricata'' and ''Ervatamia yunnanensis''. It is an iboga alkaloid which commonly serves as a precursor for the semi-synthesis of ibogaine. It has been demonstrated in animals to have similar anti-addictive properties to ibogaine itself. It also potentiates the effects of barbiturates. Under UV-A and UV-B light its crystals fluoresce blue-green, and it is soluble in ethanol. Pharmacology Pharmacodynamics Voacangine exhibits AChE inhibitory activity. Docking simulation reveals that it has inhibitory effect on VEGF2 kinase and reduces angiogenesis. Like ibogaine, its a potent HERG blocker in vitro. It also acts as antagonist to TRPM8 and TRPV1 receptor but agonist of TRPA1. Pharmacokinetics The a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, as well as Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha ( United Kingdom Overseas Territory).Paul R. Masson, Catherine Anne Pattillo, "Monetary union in West Africa (ECOWAS): is it desirable and how could it be achieved?" (Introduction). International Monetary Fund, 2001. The population of West Africa is estimated at about million people as of , and at 381,981,000 as of 2017, of which 189,672,000 are female and 192,309,000 male. The region is demographically and economically one of the fastest growing on the African continent. Early history in West Africa included a number of prominent regional powers that dominated different parts of both the coastal and internal trade networks, suc ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Christian Rätsch
Christian Rätsch (20 April 1957 – 17 September 2022) was a German anthropologist and writer on topics like ethnopharmacology, psychoactive plants and animals. Life Rätsch was born in 1957 in a Bohemian community in Hamburg, Germany. His father was an opera singer, his mother a ballet dancer. He started learning about shamanism and sacred plants at 10 and had his first drug experience at 12. Rätsch earned a doctorate in Native American cultures. He conducted field research for three years while living with the Lacandón Indians in Chiapas, Mexico investigating shamanism first-hand, and completed his doctorate on their incantations and spells. Rätsch resided in Hamburg with his wife Claudia Müller-Ebeling. He is the founder and co-editor of '' The Yearbook of Ethnomedicine and the Study of Consciousness''. Rätsch died at the age of 65 from an undiscovered stomach ulcer, which he had staunchly tamed over the years. Selected works The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Pla ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vinblastine
Vinblastine (VBL), sold under the brand name Velban among others, is a chemotherapy medication, typically used with other medications, to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-small cell lung cancer, bladder cancer, brain cancer, melanoma, and testicular cancer. It is given by injection into a vein. Most people experience some side effects. Commonly it causes a change in sensation, constipation, weakness, loss of appetite, and headaches. Severe side effects include low blood cell counts and shortness of breath. It should not be given to people who have a current bacterial infection. Use during pregnancy will likely harm the baby. Vinblastine works by blocking cell division. Vinblastine was isolated in 1958. An example of a natural herbal remedy that has since been developed into a conventional medicine, vinblastine was originally obtained from the Madagascar periwinkle. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term memory, remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include primary progressive aphasia, problems with language, Orientation (mental), disorientation (including easily getting lost), mood swings, loss of motivation, self-neglect, and challenging behaviour, behavioral issues. As a person's condition declines, they often withdraw from family and society. Gradually, bodily functions are lost, ultimately leading to death. Although the speed of progression can vary, the typical life expectancy following diagnosis is three to nine years. The cause of Alzheimer's disease is poorly understood. There are many environmental and genetic risk factors associated with its development. The strongest genetic risk factor is from an alle ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vinpocetine
Vinpocetine (ethyl apovincaminate) is a synthetic derivative of the vinca alkaloid vincamine, differing by the removal of a hydroxyl group. Vincamine is extracted from either the seeds of ''Voacanga africana'' or the leaves of ''Vinca minor'' (lesser periwinkle). Medical uses Vinpocetine has been used in many Asian and European countries for treatment of cerebrovascular disorders such as stroke and dementia for over three decades. Vinpocetine is not approved for any therapeutic use in the United States. The FDA has tentatively ruled that vinpocetine, due to its synthetic nature and proposed therapeutic uses, is ineligible to be marketed as dietary supplement under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Despite this, vinpocetine remains widely available in dietary supplements often marketed as nootropics. Vinpocetine is legally sold in CanadaRefer to the Health Canada website, for more details.Vinpocetine does not fully support a benefit in either dementia or stroke. As of 2 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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ACS Omega
''ACS Omega'' is a weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal published since 2016 by the American Chemical Society. The editors-in-chief are Krishna Ganesh and Deqing Zhang. According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the journal has a 2021 impact factor of 4.132. It is an open-access publication, which covers research in chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ... and interfacing areas of science. References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:ACS Omega American Chemical Society academic journals Weekly journals English-language journals Publications established in 2016 Chemistry journals ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Voacamine
Voacamine, also known under the older names voacanginine and vocamine, is a naturally occurring dimeric indole alkaloid of the secologanin type, found in a number of plants, including ''Voacanga africana'' and ''Tabernaemontana divaricata''. It is approved for use as an antimalarial drug in several African countries. Voacamine exhibits cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonistic activity. Chemistry Structure There is considerable confusion about the absolute stereochemical configuration of voacamine and the originally published absolute structure had to be later revised. It has an ibogaine unit joined with vobasine unit. Adverse Effect Voacamine can cause hypertension in high dose. See also * Vincamine * Vobtusine Vobtusine is an alkaloid found in several different plants in the genus ''Voacanga ''Voacanga'' is a genus of plants in the family Apocynaceae found in Africa, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Australia. the World Checklist of Selected Plant Fa ... References {{R ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Voacangine
Voacangine (12-methoxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid methyl ester) is an alkaloid found predominantly in the root bark of the ''Voacanga africana'' tree, as well as in other plants such as ''Tabernanthe iboga'', ''Tabernaemontana africana'', ''Trachelospermum jasminoides'', ''Tabernaemontana divaricata'' and ''Ervatamia yunnanensis''. It is an iboga alkaloid which commonly serves as a precursor for the semi-synthesis of ibogaine. It has been demonstrated in animals to have similar anti-addictive properties to ibogaine itself. It also potentiates the effects of barbiturates. Under UV-A and UV-B light its crystals fluoresce blue-green, and it is soluble in ethanol. Pharmacology Pharmacodynamics Voacangine exhibits AChE inhibitory activity. Docking simulation reveals that it has inhibitory effect on VEGF2 kinase and reduces angiogenesis. Like ibogaine, its a potent HERG blocker in vitro. It also acts as antagonist to TRPM8 and TRPV1 receptor but agonist of TRPA1. Pharmacokinetics The a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pharmaceutical Biology
''Pharmaceutical Biology'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal that publishes research on natural product research related to pharmaceutical biology. The editor-in-chief is John M. Pezzuto (Western New England University Western New England University is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts. Academic programs are provided through its College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Engineering, School of Law, and College of Pharmacy an ...). External links * {{Official website, https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/iphb20/current Publications established in 1961 Pharmacology journals Monthly journals Taylor & Francis academic journals English-language journals ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |