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. Phytochemistry. 2013 Mar;87:157-63. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2012.11.002. Epub 2012 Dec 6. Dimeric bisindole alkaloids from the stem bark of Strychnos nux-vomica L. Jonville MC(1), Dive G, Angenot L, Bero J, Tits M, Ollivier E, Frédérich M. Author information: (1)Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie, Drug Research Center (CIRM), Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium. MC.Jonville@ulg.ac.be Strychnos nux-vomica L. (Loganiaceae) is famous for its monomeric alkaloid content, such as strychnine, a convulsant poison. The stem bark of the tree is traditionally used to treat intermittent fever in South East Asia. In various studies, it appeared that dimeric indolo-monoterpenic alkaloids possess a promising activity on Plasmodium falciparum. Three bisindolomonoterpenic alkaloids together with strychnochrysine, previously identified in the root bark of S. nux-vomica, were isolated from the stem bark. The structures of these compounds were established using NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Stereochemistry of the compounds was confirmed by molecular modelling. This then allowed the structural determination of strychnoflavine, a coloured bisindole alkaloid previously isolated from the root bark of the tree. Moreover, the conformational inversion in alkaloids possessing an ether bond in the strychnane moiety could be easily predicted by specific δ (13)C NMR values. These longicaudatine-type alkaloids were found to display in vitro antiplasmodial activity against a chloroquine resistant strain and a chloroquine sensitive strain. The most interesting was strychnochrysine showing an IC(50) value at around 10 μM. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2012.11.002 PMID: 23219610 [Indexed for MEDLINE] 2. J Nat Prod. 1998 Jan 23;61(1):139-41. doi: 10.1021/np9703454. Strychnochrysine, a New Bisindole Alkaloid from the Roots of Strychnos nux-vomica1. Biala RG(1), Tits M, Penelle J, Frédérich M, Brandt V V, Prospéri C, Llabrès G, Angenot L. Author information: (1)Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Liège, CHU, Tour 4, Avenue de l'Hôpital 1, B-4000 Liège 1, Belgium, and Laboratory of NMR, Institute of Physics, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, B-4000 Liège, Belgium. The reinvestigation of Strychnos nux-vomica resulted in the isolation of a colored monoquaternary bisindole alkaloid from the roots. The structure of this new orange substance, strychnochrysine (1), was defined by detailed spectroscopic methods. DOI: 10.1021/np9703454 PMID: 9548840