Emetine and Related Alkaloids

Abstract

Emetine, the active principle of ipecac, is isolated from the roots of Cephaelis ipecacuanha, a small plant indigenous to the tropical rain forests of Brazil and countries immediately to the north. The medicinal properties of ipecac in the treatment of dysentery have long been known to the natives of Brazil (Purchas, 1625). The drug was introduced into Europe during the latter part of the 17th Century and sold by a Paris physician, Helvetius, as a secret remedy for dysentery. By 1688, ipecac had achieved such fame that the formula was purchased by Louis XIV and placed in the public domain (Lloyd, 1921; Staub, 1927).