''Thapsia'', commonly known as the deadly carrots, is a small

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

poisonous plant Plants that produce toxins are referred to as poisonous plants. Plants that cause irritation on contact are also described as "poisonous". The toxins in poisonous plants affect herbivores, and deter them from consuming the plants. Plants cannot ...

s in the family

Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants ...

. Their center of diversity is around the western

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

, extending into the Atlantic coasts of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

and

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

. Some species are used in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

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 Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

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 ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. It has a long history of being used in ancient

. 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 Silphium (also known as ''silphion'', ''laserwort'', or ''laser'') is an unidentified plant that was used in classical antiquity as a seasoning, perfume, aphrodisiac, and medicine. It also was used as a contraceptive by ancient Greeks and Romans ...

'', used as a

purgative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

and

emetic Vomiting (also known as emesis and throwing up) is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteri ...

. Although its exact identity remains contentious today, some historians believe that the plant may have been ''Thapsia garganica''.

Cancer research

The chemical compound

thapsigargin Thapsigargin is a non-competitive inhibitor of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA). Structurally, thapsigargin is classified as a guaianolide, and is extracted from a plant, ''Thapsia garganica''. It is a tumor promoter in ma ...

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

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 ''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 spe ...

'' 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 pro ...

'' * ''

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