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. Org Lett. 2014 Dec 19;16(24):6428-31. doi: 10.1021/ol5032602. Epub 2014 Dec 8. Total syntheses of the dihydrofuranonecarboxylate natural products gregatin B and E: gram-scale synthesis of (+)-gregatin B and unambiguous assignment of the stereostructure of (+)-gregatin E. Weber F(1), Brückner R. Author information: (1)Institut für Organische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität , Albertstraße 21, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. We synthesized the dextrorotatory enantiomers of gregatin B (1.3 g scale) and E, establishing their diene side chains in the last step by Heck coupling with variable iodoolefins. Their counterpart was synthesized in 30% overall yield and with high enantiopurity (97% ee) from benzyl tiglate, beginning with an asymmetric dihydroxylation. The stereostructure of gregatin E followed from HPLC comparisons between the four synthetic stereoisomers of this compound and natural gregatin E, which we isolated from Cadophora gregata. DOI: 10.1021/ol5032602 PMID: 25483968 [Indexed for MEDLINE] 2. Nat Prod Commun. 2009 Nov;4(11):1605-10. Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oil of Bupleurum montanum and B. plantagineum. Laouer H(1), Hirèche-Adjal Y, Prado S, Boulaacheb N, Akkal S, Singh G, Singh P, Isidorov VA, Szczepaniak L. Author information: (1)Laboratory of Natural Resources Valorization, Department of Biology, Ferhat Abbas University, Setif, Algeria. hocine_laouer@hotmail.com The hydrodistilled oils from the aerial parts of Bupleurum montanum and B. plantagineum, which are endemic to North Africa, including Algeria, were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Ninety-eight compounds were detected in the oil of B. montanum, representing 98.6% of the total oil, and 68 in the oil of B. plantagineum, representing 99.8% of the total. Megastigma-4,6-(E),8(2)-triene was the major constituent of B. montana oil (25.3%). Other important compounds were myrcene, alpha-pinene and benzyl tiglate. Conversely, the major constituents of the oil of B. plantagineum were alpha-pinene (31.9%), cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (28.2%), and myrcene (24.8%), followed by the monoterpene hydrocarbon limonene (5.1%). The mutagenic, antiplasmodial and antimicrobial activities of the essential oils were individually evaluated against eleven microorganisms, using the agar diffusion method, by determination of MIC values. The investigated oils exhibited moderate antimicrobial activity. Maximum activity of the oils was observed against Nocardia asteroides, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. Fungicidal activity against Candida albicans was also found for both oils. PMID: 19968000 [Indexed for MEDLINE] 3. J Econ Entomol. 2008 Jun;101(3):720-7. doi: 10.1603/0022-0493(2008)101[720:FSOCTA]2.0.CO;2. Floral scent of Canada thistle and its potential as a generic insect attractant. El-Sayed AM(1), Byers JA, Manning LM, Jürgens A, Mitchell VJ, Suckling DM. Author information: (1)HortResearch, Canterbury Research Centre, Lincoln 8152, New Zealand. ael-sayed@hortresearch.co.nz The flowers of Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense (L.), attract a wide range of insects, including pollinators and herbivorous species. This attraction is primarily mediated by floral odor, which offers potential for developing generic insect attractants based on odor. In this study, we have analyzed the chemical composition of the volatiles produced by Canada thistle flowers. Nineteen floral compounds were identified in the headspace, including phenylacetaldehyde (55%), methyl salicylate (14%), dimethyl salicylate (8%), pyranoid linalool oxide (4.5%), and benzaldehyde (3.5%). Other minor compounds include benzyl alcohol, methylbenzoate, linalool, phenylethyl alcohol, furanoid linalool oxide, p-anisaldehyde, 2,6-dimethyl-1,3,5,7-octatetraene, benzylacetate, benzyl tiglate, (E,E)-alpha-farnesene, benzyl benzoate, isopropyl myristate, and 2-phenylethyl ester benzoic acid. The relative attractiveness of various doses of the main floral volatile compound phenylacetaldehyde (i.e., 10, 100, 200, and 400 mg) was tested for insect attraction. Both the total catch and the biodiversity of insect species trapped increased as the loading of phenylacetaldehyde increased. Volatiles were chosen from the odors from the flowers of Canada thistle and formulated and tested in the field. An 11-component blend was the most attractive of several floral blends tested. These findings indicate that chemical components of flower odors of Canada thistle can serve as a generic insect attractant for monitoring of invasive pest species. DOI: 10.1603/0022-0493(2008)101[720:FSOCTA]2.0.CO;2 PMID: 18613571 [Indexed for MEDLINE]