''Thapsia'', commonly known as the deadly carrots,
is a small
genus of
poisonous plants in the family
Apiaceae. Their center of diversity is around the western
Mediterranean, extending into the
Atlantic coasts of
Portugal and
Morocco. Some species are used in
traditional medicine.
Description
Species of ''Thapsia'' are herbaceous perennials, growing 50 to 200 cm high. The inflorescences are large, regularly distributed umbels. The seeds have four wings, and are the main characteristic of the genus, which is distributed in the Mediterranean, on the Iberian peninsula, and North Africa.
The
generic name ''Thapsia'' is derived from the
Ancient Greek name θαψία (''thapsía'') for the members of the genus. The Greeks believe it to have originated from ancient
Thapsos
Thapsos ( el, Θάψος) was a prehistoric village in Sicily of the middle Bronze Age. It was found by the Italian archaeologist Paolo Orsi on the small peninsula of Magnisi, near Priolo Gargallo. In its vicinity was born the Thapsos culture ...
in
Sicily.
It has a long history of being used in ancient
traditional medicine. Algerians used it as a pain-reliever though they recognized that the plant was deadly to
camel
A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...
s. The Greek colony of
Cyrene exported a medicinal plant known as ''
silphion'', used as a
purgative and
emetic. Although its exact identity remains contentious today, some historians believe that the plant may have been ''Thapsia garganica''.
Cancer research
The chemical compound
thapsigargin has been isolated from ''Thapsia garganica''. A synthetic
prodrug
A prodrug is a medication or compound that, after intake, is metabolized (i.e., converted within the body) into a pharmacologically active drug. Instead of administering a drug directly, a corresponding prodrug can be used to improve how the drug ...
of thapsigargin called "G-202" is in preliminary clinical trials for cancer treatment. The active constituent kills tumor cells by destroying their calcium balance. A biotech company called GenSpera, Inc. in San Antonio, TX is studying methods of delivering thapsigargin directly to cancer cells, avoiding damage to other cells in the body of the patient.
Antiviral research
This same chemical compound
thapsigargin is now being looked at as an antiviral to use against SARS-coV-2, the coronavirus virus that causes COVID-19. It has not yet reached the clinical trial stage.
Species
About 21 species of ''Thapsia'' are currently recognized. It is, however, a complex genus, and some authors may recognize different numbers of species.
* ''
Thapsia asclepium
''Thapsia'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Sheldoniinae of the family Urocyclidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Thapsia E. von Martens, 1860. Accessed through: Worl ...
''
* ''
Thapsia cinerea
''Thapsia'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Sheldoniinae of the family Urocyclidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Thapsia E. von Martens, 1860. Accessed through: Worl ...
''
A.Pujadas
* ''
Thapsia decussata
''Thapsia'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Sheldoniinae of the family Urocyclidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Thapsia E. von Martens, 1860. Accessed through: Worl ...
''
Lag.
* ''
Thapsia eliasii
''Thapsia'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Sheldoniinae of the family Urocyclidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Thapsia E. von Martens, 1860. Accessed through: Worl ...
''
* ''
Thapsia foetida
''Thapsia'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Sheldoniinae of the family Urocyclidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Thapsia E. von Martens, 1860. Accessed through: Worl ...
''
* ''
Thapsia garganica''
L.
* ''
Thapsia gummifera
''Thapsia gummifera'' (syn. ''Margotia gummifera'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the western Mediterranean; Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. As its synonym ''Margotia gummifera'' it has been pr ...
''
* ''
Thapsia gymnesica
''Thapsia'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Sheldoniinae of the family Urocyclidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Thapsia E. von Martens, 1860. Accessed through: Wo ...
''
Rosselló & A.Pujadas
* ''
Thapsia meoides
''Thapsia'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Sheldoniinae of the family Urocyclidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Thapsia E. von Martens, 1860. Accessed through: Wo ...
''
* ''
Thapsia minor
''Thapsia'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Sheldoniinae of the family Urocyclidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Thapsia E. von Martens, 1860. Accessed through: Wo ...
''
Hoffmans & Link
* ''
Thapsia nestleri''
* ''
Thapsia nitida''
Lacaita
* ''
Thapsia pelagica''
* ''
Thapsia platycarpa''
Pomel
* ''
Thapsia scabra''
* ''
Thapsia smittii''
* ''
Thapsia tenuifolia''
* ''
Thapsia thapsioides''
* ''
Thapsia transtagana''
Brot.
* ''
Thapsia villosa''
L.
Gallery
File: Thapsia nitida.jpg, '' Thapsia nitida''
File: Thapsia villosa - 06052010.jpg, '' Thapsia villosa''
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2710470
Apiaceae genera
Medicinal plants
Apioideae