Worldwide, there are plants known as psychoactive plants that naturally contain psychedelic active components. They have a high concentration of neuroprotective substances that can interact with the nervous system to produce psychedelic effects. Despite these plants' hazardous potential, recreational use of them is on the rise because of their psychoactive properties. Early neuroscience studies relied heavily on psychoactive plants and plant natural products (NPs), and both recreational and hazardous NPs have contributed significantly to the understanding of almost all neurotransmitter systems. Worldwide, there are many plants that contain psychoactive properties, and people have been using them for ages. Psychoactive plant compounds may significantly alter how people perceive the world.
1. Chin J Nat Med. 2016 Jan;14(1):61-5. doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1009.2016.00065. Anti-inflammatory iridoids from the stems of Cistanche deserticola cultured in Tarim Desert. Nan ZD(1), Zhao MB(2), Zeng KW(2), Tian SH(2), Wang WN(2), Jiang Y(3), Tu PF(4). Author information: (1)State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Leshan Vocational & Technical college, Leshan 614000, China. (2)State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. (3)State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. Electronic address: yongjiang@bjmu.edu.cn. (4)State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. Electronic address: pengfeitu@vip.163.com. In order to determine the chemical constituents of Cistanche deserticola cultured in Tarim desert, a systematically phytochemical investigation was carried out. The constituents were isolated by silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, MCI gel, ODS column chromatography, and semi-preparative HPLC. Their structures were determined on the basis of MS and NMR spectroscopic analyses, by chemical methods, and/or comparison with literature data. The anti-inflammatory activities of the isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in BV-2 mouse microglial cells. Nine iridoids were isolated and identified as cistadesertoside A (1), cistanin (2), cistachlorin (3), 6-deoxycatalpol (4), gluroside (5), kankanoside A (6), ajugol (7), bartsioside (8), and 8-epi-loganic acid (9). Compound 9 exhibited potent inhibition on the NO production with an IC50 value being 5.2 μmol·L(-1), comparable to the positive control quercetin (4.3 μmol·L(-1)). Compound 1 was a new iridoid, and compounds 5, 6, and 8 were isolated from this species for the first time. Copyright © 2016 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1009.2016.00065 PMID: 26850348 [Indexed for MEDLINE]