ROŚLINY TRUJĄCE I LECZNICZE MIASTA POŁCZYN-ZDRÓJ I JEGO OKOLIC (POJEZIERZE DRAWSKIE) – BADANIA WSTĘPNE

More than 60,000 calls are made annually to poison control centers (PCCs) for cases of suspected plant toxicity. Children younger than age 6 years comprise two thirds of cases, due to their natural curiosity and limited judgment. Most of these exposures are benign; fewer than 10% result in treatment by a health professional. The PCC is a valuable source of information to assist in management. Most ingestions of plant material by young children are of small quantity, and symptoms, if present, typically are short-lived and self-limited. Gastrointestinal effects are common and may be a clue to seek other, more subtle signs of poisoning. Plant ingestions in older children and adolescents generally are intentional and of larger quantity, the result of either substance experimentation or attempted self-harm.Autonomic toxidromes can be seen in many plant poisonings. Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) and Jimson weed (Datura stramonium) produce atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine, all anticholinergic toxins. Victims can present with classic symptoms of flushing, hyperthermia, blurred vision, dry mouth, and hallucinations. Common garden vegetables in the Solanum genus, including tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants, also can cause anticholinergic symptoms when blossoms or unripe buds are ingested. Physostigmine may be indicated to treat severe or persistent symptoms.A variety of central nervous system (CNS) responses follow plant ingestion. Hallucinations are common with marijuana ingestion by children and with ingestion of nutmeg or morning glory seeds by teenagers. Tobacco plant exposure results in parasympathetic symptoms (miosis, bronchorrhea, gastrointestinal distress) as well as neuromuscular derangement due to unchecked nicotinic receptor response.Cardioactive glycosides are produced by foxglove (Digitalis), but they also are found in lily of the valley (Convallaria) and oleander (Nerium and Thevetia). Symptoms cannot be distinguished from those of digoxin toxicity and include hyperkalemia, CNS depression, and cardiac conduction abnormalities. Treatment with digoxin-specific antibody fragments can be lifesaving.Potentially dangerous toxins can show up in unexpected sources. Berries of the holly and mistletoe plants, common in holiday decorations, carry a risk of significant gastrointestinal distress. Amygdalin, contained in seeds and pits of Prunus species fruits (cherries, apricots, peaches, apples, plums), generates cyanide when metabolized. The resulting inhibition of cellular respiration can be lethal.Ingestion of mushrooms also may have fatal consequences. Species that harbor amatoxins (Amanita) and related compounds typically cause delayed onset (6 hours) of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. A second latent period is followed by acute and possibly fulminant hepatitis beginning 48 to 72 hours after ingestion. Effective decontamination and therapies directed at the toxins generally are ineffective, and supportive care, including liver transplant if necessary, is the mainstay of therapy. Other species of mushrooms can cause hallucinations, muscarinic toxicity, or general gastrointestinal irritation. Although most mushroom species are nontoxic, caretakers of a child who has eaten or who is suspected of eating any wild mushroom should call the PCC for guidance.The PCC can be an important aid in medical decision making, particularly with symptomatic patients for whom the identity of the plant is unknown. Electronic transmission of digital images may allow the PCC and expert botanists to identify the offending plant quickly and confidently and provide data on managing the exposure.Management of a potentially lethal exposure always should include communication with a toxicologist. In these situations, establishing control of airway, breathing, and circulation should be priorities. Aggressive decontamination, with gastric emptying, activated charcoal, and possibly whole bowel irrigation, may be warranted.Parents should be aware of the types of plants kept inside the home as well as in any landscaping in the yard or neighborhood. Unknown plants or shrubs, especially those that have bright colors or other features that might seem inviting to the curious child, can be identified with the help of a local nursery.Comment: Although pediatricians may consider drug ingestion readily in the differential diagnosis for certain signs and symptoms, I dare say we do not consider toxic plant exposures as often as we should, especially in younger children. Plant exposures in children 6 years of age and younger accounted for 4.6% of calls to PCCs, and this figure only represents instances when exposure was considered. The prevalence, therefore, is probably underestimated. Another important aspect to consider is the overlap of presentations between herbal remedies and plant exposures, another area where we need to expand our questioning. Consideration of toxic plant exposures in our patients reinforces the importance and value to parents and pediatricians of PCCs and the vast knowledge of diagnosis and treatment their staff impart. The website http://www.aapcc.org contains useful information about poison centers.Janet R. Serwint, MDConsulting Editor, In Brief

The are 266 medicinal vascular plants from 181 genera, 64 families, 5 phylum (Lycopodiophyta, Equisetophyta, Pteridophyta, Pinophyta, Magnoliophyta) in the «Buzuluksky Bor» national park. 67 species of medicinal vascular plants from 59 genera, 27 families and 4 phylum grows in forest communities, which are the most widespread such plants as Chelidonium majus L., Convallaria majalis L., Fallopia convolvulus (L.) A. Love, Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce, Taraxacum officinalis L. and Pinus sylvestris L. Increasing number of medicinal plants has a considerable projective covering in oak forests. 30 species of medicinal plants, most of all their share in the maple forests are specific to a certain type of forest communities. The greatest similarities of specific structure of medicinal plants are oak and birch communities. The number of medicinal plants in forest communities decreases among: oak forests (35 species) > birch forests (33 species) > pine forests (30 species) > maple forests (29 species). With increase in a gigrotope and reduction of a trofotope in community of the national park «Buzuluksky Bor» located in a forest-steppe zone a variety of medicinal plants increases, however the heliotope has no significant impact on number of medicinal plants. In the territory of national park «Buzuluksky Bor» it is recommended to collect herbs only in a recreational zone and a zone of informative tourism, and in oak and birch forests. Convallaria majalis, Pteridium aquilinum, Aegopodium podagraria, Polygonatum odoratum are less vulnerable when collecting medicinal raw materials.

Epidemiology of intoxication of domestic animals by plants in Europe

Summary The article focuses on the historical link between herbalism and art at the turn of the twentieth century. The aim of this investigation is to recognize medicinal plants shown as symbols in Polish painting between 1890 and 1914 and find some cultural context of their presence in artworks. In this qualitative study online art galleries and museum collections were analyzed to select Polish symbolists’ artworks including plant images. Next, their botanical classification and medicinal context were examined. Twenty wild-growing plant species were recognized. Some of them had been used in traditional medicine (Alcea rosea, Angelica archangelica, Artemisia abrotanum, Betula pendula, Carduus marianus, Convallaria majalis, Crocus sativus, Lilium candidum, Matricaria chamomilla, Nuphar lutea, Paeonia officinalis, Papaver somniferum, Pelargonium hortorum, Populus nigra, Primula veris, Sorbus aucuparia, Taraxacum officinale, and Verbascum thapsus) and two species grown in the Carpathians (Digitalis purpurea, Lilium bulbiferum) at the time. Used to paint realistic objects, the symbolists made free-hand drawings in nature and in this way they recorded some wild-growing plants typical for surroundings of the town of Cracow and the Carpathian Mountains. Artistic images of plants were not intentionally aimed at taxonomic identification, however, sometimes classification was possible.

Poppy tea and the baker' first seizure

Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) has its importance as a plant based natural pain re‐ liever from the time dating back to early civilization till today. Its pain relieving properties had been described in various books of unani, allopathy and ayurvedic medication system. Today our pharmaceutical industries solely depend on opium poppy for their crude resour‐ ces for manufacturing of pain killing drugs. The medical practitioners around the world routinely prescribe important life saving drugs, are the secondary metabolites produced as a result of complex plant metabolism. The important life saving drugs are mostly derived from five major alkaloids viz., morphine, codeine, thebaine, noscapine and papaverine which are present in opium latex in ample amount [1]. According to a report from an inter‐ national organization i.e. WHO (World Health Organization), about 85% of the population in developing countries depend on herbal plants for curatives, medicinal and other medico related applications. India being one of the twelve mega biodiversity centers of the world is fully fledged with diverse array of herbal and medicinal plants which makes it “Botanical Garden of World”. About 10,000 different medicinal plant species are found in India among which opium poppy occupies the highest place in terms of food (seeds) and pharmaceuticals (alkaloids). These valuable alkaloids are mainly extracted in India from green unripe capsu‐ les by making incision upto 1-2 mm in the epidermal wall of the capsule (Figure 1), but glob‐ ally it is extracted from the dried capsule which is called CPS (Concentrated poppy straw) system. In CPS system, the dried capsules along with eight inches of peduncle are harvested and seeds are threshed. The remaining husk is used to extract various alkaloids. The whole plant parts of opium poppy are valuable in terms of food, medicine, vegetable and as brew‐

The choice of varieties among medicinal plant species is relatively small, compared to other horticultural crops. In Hungary, only poppy (Papaver somniferum) and mustard (Sinapis alba) have several cultivars. Recognising the problem, in the recent years breeding activity has been intensified all over the world, in spite of financial, technical and legal difficulties. The article reports on the results of breeding at the Department of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the Szent István University, 11 varieties of which has been officially registered till 2000. Main goals of genetic improvement are: increasing of the production capacity of utilised plant organs, enhancement of active material accumulation capacity, improvement of sensory quality and technological properties. The most often applied methods are selection, and recently, cross breeding, the results of which can be measured on new materials of caraway (Carum carvi), hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), marjoram (Majorana hortensis), poppy (Papaver somniferum), etc. Efficacy of breeding work is established by additional, regular research on the genetics, physiology, floral and reproductive biology, chemosyndromes of medicinal plant species.

A quick, simple, and high-yield nucleic acid isolation process is crucial for high-quality DNA analysis. The ability of the MicroGEM PDQeX phytoGEM system and Omega Bio-tek E.Z.N.A.® Plant DS Mini kit to extract PCR-ready DNA was evaluated by extracting the forensically relevant "legal high" plant species: Ipomoea purpurea, Artemisia absinthium, Mitragyna speciosa, Datura stramonium, and Papaver somniferum. The plant material was pulverized, processed using the manufacturer's plant protocol for the PDQeX Nucleic Acid Extraction or the manufacturer's protocol for the Omega extraction, quantified using the Invitrogen Qubit 2.0 Fluorometer, and analyzed for amplifiability by PCR using a Qiagen Rotor-Gene Q instrument and published assays. The DNA amplicons for the legal high species produced high-resolution melt curves concordant with the melts observed when DNA was isolated using the Qiagen DNeasy Plant Mini Kit in previous studies.

The first natural haploid was reported in Datura stramonium (Blakeslee et al., 1922). There are only a few examples of spontaneous production of haploids in field culture of tomato and commercial strains of cotton (Kimber and Riley, 1963). Because of the potential of haploids in breeding and genetic studies, much effort has been made to induce haploid sporophytes by various physical, chemical and biological stimulants or via in vitro culture. In vitro culture of unfertilized ovaries and ovules has been tried without success with Cooperia pedunculata (Sachar and Kapoor, 1958), Zephyranthes (Sachar and Kapoor, 1959) and Papaver somniferum (Maheshwari, 1958; Maheshwari and Lal, 1961). Under conditions of in vitro culture, ovules with the zygote and primary endosperm nucleus developed only to the globular stage of embryo development. The formation of endosperm was also inhibited.

You have taken the strength from henbane, with which ungrateful love drowsed my painful virtue'.

This study aimed to isolate and identify seed-borne fungi associated with some seeds collected from Egypt markets during storage and the possibility of their control by medicinal plant extracts. The studied seeds were Sorghum bicolor, Triticum aestivum, Oryza sativa, Lens esculentus, Vigna sinensis, Arachis hypogea and Vicia faba. Thirteen fungal species were isolated from those Aspergillus niger, A. flavus and Penicillium chrysogenum were the most prevalent. Sixteen medicinal plants named Allium sativum, Aloe vera, Mentha basilicum, Musa acuminate, Eucalptus rostrata, Datura stramonium, Zingiber officinale, Azadirachta indica, Jatropha curcas, Euphorbia peplis, Ocimum basilicum, Carum carvi, Rosmarinus officinalis, Nigella sativa, Cuminum cyminum and Citrullus colocynthis were screened for their antifungal activities. Aqueous plant extracts of all mentioned plants were tested against the most prodomonant fungal species. Allium sativum, Zingiber officinale, Datura stramonium and Citrullus colocynthis exhibited the highest antifungal activity within all plants tested. Treated seeds by plant extracts showed an increase of the percentage of their germination and reduction of seed-borne fungal infection. Mycotoxins of infected seeds and fungal pathogens were also determined.

Chapter 14 - Genome engineering in medicinally important plants using CRISPR/Cas9 tool

Network-based identification of hub transcription factors associated with benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis in Papaver somniferum.

The opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is one of mankind's oldest medicinal plants. Opium poppy today is the commercial source of the narcotic analgesics morphine and codeine. Along with these two morphinans, opium poppy produces approximately eighty alkaloids belonging to various tetrahydrobenzylisoquinoline-derived classes. It has been known for over a century that morphinan alkaloids accumulate in the latex of opium poppy. With identification of many of the enzymes of alkaloid biosynthesis in this plant, biochemical data suggested involvement of multiple cell types in alkaloid biosynthesis in poppy. Herein the immunolocalization of five enzymes of alkaloid formation in opium poppy is reported: (R,S)-3'-hydroxy-N-methylcoclaurine 4'-O-methyltransferase central to the biosynthesis of tetrahydroisoquinoline-derived alkaloids, the berberine bridge enzyme of the sanguinarine pathway, (R,S)-reticuline 7-O-methyltransferase specific to laudanosine formation, and salutaridinol 7-O-acetyltransferase and codeinone reductase, which lead to morphine. In capsule and stem, both O-methyltransferases and the O-acetyltransferase are found predominantly in parenchyma cells within the vascular bundle, and codeinone reductase is localized to laticifers, the site of morphinan alkaloid accumulation. In developing root tip, both O-methyltransferases and the O-acetyltransferase are found in the pericycle of the stele, and the berberine bridge enzyme is localized to parenchyma cells of the root cortex. Laticifers are not found in developing root tip, and, likewise, codeinone reductase was not detected. These results provide cell-specific localization that gives a coherent picture of the spatial distribution of alkaloid biosynthesis in opium poppy.

The are 266 medicinal vascular plants from 181 genera, 64 families, 5 phylum (Lycopodiophyta, Equisetophyta, Pteridophyta, Pinophyta, Magnoliophyta) in the Buzuluksky Bor national park. 67 species of medicinal vascular plants from 59 genera, 27 families and 4 phylum grows in forest communities, which are the most widespread such plants as Chelidonium majus L., Convallaria majalis L., Fallopia convolvulus (L.) A. Lve, Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce, Taraxacum officinalis L. and Pinus sylvestris L. Increasing number of medicinal plants has a considerable projective covering in oak forests. 30 species of medicinal plants, most of all their share in the maple forests are specific to a certain type of forest communities. The greatest similarities of specific structure of medicinal plants are oak and birch communities. The number of medicinal plants in forest communities decreases among: oak forests (35 species) birch forests (33 species) pine forests (30 species) maple forests (29 species). With increase in a gigrotope and reduction of a trofotope in community of the national park Buzuluksky Bor located in a forest-steppe zone a variety of medicinal plants increases, however the heliotope has no significant impact on number of medicinal plants. In the territory of national park Buzuluksky Bor it is recommended to collect herbs only in a recreational zone and a zone of informative tourism, and in oak and birch forests. Convallaria majalis, Pteridium aquilinum, Aegopodium podagraria, Polygonatum odoratum are less vulnerable when collecting medicinal raw materials.