Re: [ECOLOG-L] life history of medicinal plants?
David, I've been teaching Medical Botany for many years and I think you have hit upon an intriguing question. However, as others have already pointed out, it is much more complex than perhaps first thought. First, I can also see the reasoning for thinking that perennial plants may be more likely to be medicinal (i.e. produce secondary compounds) and in fact, I can think of many, many examples. But on the flip side, one could also argue that secondary compounds may be more likely to evolve in annual plants because of their quicker generation time. Second, there are hundreds and hundreds of medicinal plants all around the world, and their uses are exceedingly varied; personally, I do not know of any single, comprehensive source that lists everything. Keep in mind too that most of the world does not practice "Western medicine" and many of theses different cultures in other areas of the world have their own medicinal species that reflect what grows in the area and also oral traditions. And most importantly, the nomenclature and taxonomy of many of these species is often unclear (especially common names - don't get me started on that). I assume there that we are also talking about medicinal uses as they pertain to humans but there are many documented cases of other animals using plants medicinally. I think an important point already raised is that the perennial life history can vary within the range of a given species or across related taxa, which complicates things. Just a few thoughts, Theresa Culley p.s. Several medicinal annual plants I can think of off the top of my head are those used in cooking - basil, mints, etc. (at least they perform as annuals in my yard in Ohio in the US but maybe not in warmer climates). On 11/8/2014 6:36 PM, David Inouye wrote: I'm wondering whether it's possible to generalize about the life histories of medicinal plants. My guess is that annual plants in general don't invest much in secondary plant compounds, so that most medicinal plants would be perennial (herbs or shrubs). Do you know of any annuals that are important as medicinal plants? David Inouye Dr. David W. Inouye, Professor Emeritus Department of Biology University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742-4415 2014-15: President, Ecological Society of America Principal Investigator Rocky Mtn. Biological Laboratory PO Box 519 Crested Butte, CO 81224 ino...@umd.edu 301-405-6946 -- Theresa M. Culley, PhD Associate Professor Editor-in-Chief, Applications in Plant Sciences Department of Biological Sciences University of Cincinnati 614 Rieveschl Hall Cincinnati, OH 45221-0006 Tel: 513-556-9705; Fax: 513-556-5299 Email: theresa.cul...@uc.edu http://homepages.uc.edu/~culleyt/CulleyLab.html
Re: [ECOLOG-L] life history of medicinal plants?
http://www.piam.com/mms_garden/officinalis.html has a description of the species epithets 'officinalis', 'officinale' and 'officinarum', which were assigned (mostly by Linnaeus, I presume) to plants that were used medicinally. Of the 62 species listed on that Web site, 3 are annual, one is annual and biennial, and one is annual, biennial, or perennial. One is biennial, and two are biennial and perennial. And the majority (54) are perennial, with many of those being shrubs or trees. I also got some interesting responses that weren't posted to the list. Here's a summary below. Thanks to all of those who responded. There are some annuals with significant secondary compounds (e.g., marijuana, although it can apparently be perennial), so there isn't a simple relationship between life history (annual vs. perennial) and secondary plant chemistry. David Inouye I would have thought that because the leaves of annuals spend a greater proportion of their time as softer, new growth, they are more susceptible to being eaten and so would have also have to invest in such compounds? *** Here's a paper you may want to read. You may find many useful references therein: Stepp, J.R. and D.E. Moerman. 2001. The importance of weeds in ethnopharmacology. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 75: 19-23. Below is an excerpt from the Discussion: there are low molecular weight qualitative defense compounds such as alkaloids, cardiac glycosides or terpenoids. These compounds are toxic and highly biologically active (Feeny, 1976; Coley et al., 1985). Ephemeral, successional or r -selected species, meaning species that are opportunistic, rapidly colonize an area, and are short-lived (all common characteristics of weeds) tend to rely on these sorts of toxic chemical defenses (Rhoades and Cates, 1976; Abe and Higashi, 1991). Fast-growing species tend to invest in qualitative defense compounds rather than quantitative compounds (Coley et al., 1985). Also, a positive correlation has been demonstrated between short-living plants and a reliance on qualitative compounds (Coley et al., 1985). Further support for the relationship between lifespan and type of defense is provided by the fact that all over the world, alkaloids are twice as likely to appear in annuals than perennials (Levin, 1976). One example of such an annual with alkaloid defenses is Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don. This plant provides two important chemotherapy drugs used in cancer treatment, vincristine and vinblastine, and is also considered a weed (Holm et al., 1979). Leaf life is also an important predictor of defense strategy (Coley, 1988). Plants with long-lived leaves rely on immobile defenses while plants with short-lived leaves invest in toxic compounds. Leaves of weeds are short-lived. There is also evidence that weeds increase allelochemical production under environmental stresses, such as disturbance (Putnam, 1985). Taken as a whole, these data indicate that weedy plant species will rely on bioactive low molecular weight defense compounds against herbivory. *** There are plenty of annual medicinal plants, though I guess it also depends on what definition of medicinal you're using (folk medicine or standardized trials?). A list from a quick flip through an herb book I have around: Bidens spp. (Asteraceae) Calendula officinalis (Asteraceae) Eschscholzia californica (Papaveraceae) Stellaria media (Caryophyllaceae) Galium spp. (Rubiaceae) Verbena spp (Verbenaceae) Glandularia spp (Verbenaceae) Some of these blur the border between annual and perennial, depending on climate. I think that particular book has about twice as many perennials as annuals, but who can say if that's a random sample? Besides that, there's Papaver somniferum and Cannabis sativa which produce plenty of secondary compounds (to be used medicinally or otherwise). *** This may or may not be helpful to you, but here are some pages out of Michael Moore's "Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West." I do like the way in which he categorizes them here by use. *** In addition to the poppies, the obvious omission (to me) from the public replies are the cannabis and salvia plants. Whether they are medicinal or not seems to be more a political discussion than a scientific one, although I am unsure as to whether or not they are perennials in southerly climes. *** I've been teaching Medical Botany for many years and I think you have hit upon an intriguing question. However, as others have already pointed out, it is much more complex than perhaps first thought. First, I can also see the reasoning for thinking that perennial plants may be more likely to be medicinal (i.e. produce secondary compounds) and in fact, I can think of many, many examples. But on the flip
Re: [ECOLOG-L] life history of medicinal plants?
Researchers into plant defenses sometimes classify the plants into apparent plants that are persistent in the environment and easyish for herbivores to find, such as trees and shrubs. These often are defended by chemicals that degrade the nutritional value of the meal, e.g. tannins in oak leaves. Meanwhile plants that are annual and spotty may need a more acute form of toxicity. This would apply to milkweeds. Both of these kinds of plants do furnish medicinals, however. And there are trees like the Laurels that put out cyanides. So the boundaries of this classification are fuzzy. Patrick Foley bees, fleas, flowers, disease patfo...@csus.edu From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] on behalf of Don Dean [d...@projectamazonas.org] Sent: Saturday, November 08, 2014 4:40 PM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] life history of medicinal plants? David, I wouldn’t necessarily associate a secondary bioactive compound with one that can be considered medicinal for humans. Nicotine and urushiol are among the many that can be produced in short order, so I would argue that a plant’s secondary compounds can be produced rapidly and not necessarily have a human medicinal value. There are many problems with medicinals; perhaps the most important reason that they don’t reach the American market is that a natural product cannot be patented, thus there is no profit motive until it can be “isolated” and tweaked chemically. This discounts the effect of other compounds working together. In addition, there is no oversight of herbal remedies in terms of quality, safety or efficacy. Soapbox alert… I am growing many perennial medicinal plants in the Amazon although I have no need nor desire to use any of them personally. Disturbingly, ayahuasca is becoming ever more popular. A vine with mind-altering capability, it can addle the brain. While on the soapbox, I might recommend Leslie Taylor’s The Healing Power of Rainforest Herbs. The author does a nice job of tying together folk lore to peer-reviewed research. Not a commercial, just a personal favorite. … end of soapbox. Don Dean Oakland NJ Schools projectamazonastree.org On Sat, Nov 8, 2014 at 6:36 PM, David Inouye wrote: > I'm wondering whether it's possible to generalize about the life histories > of medicinal plants. My guess is that annual plants in general don't > invest much in secondary plant compounds, so that most medicinal plants > would be perennial (herbs or shrubs). Do you know of any annuals that are > important as medicinal plants? > > David Inouye > > > Dr. David W. Inouye, Professor Emeritus > Department of Biology > University of Maryland > College Park, MD 20742-4415 > > 2014-15: President, Ecological Society of America > > Principal Investigator > Rocky Mtn. Biological Laboratory > PO Box 519 > Crested Butte, CO 81224 > > ino...@umd.edu > 301-405-6946
Re: [ECOLOG-L] life history of medicinal plants?
I would attempt to obtain the complete list of plants from the University of Michigan ethnobotanical database, determine how many are not used for fibers or other non medicinal purposes, and then determine how many are annual. Nightshades, Milkweeds, Foxglove and Castor beans are all used medicinally, and also now have derivatives which are employed in heart medications, sleep aids, emergency treatment of organophosphate poisoning, to induce vomiting, and to combat anxiety and airsickness. Plus Milkweed is only mildly toxic and can be eaten readily, the unripe pods are really neat in stir fry. On Sat, Nov 8, 2014 at 7:04 PM, Malcolm McCallum < malcolm.mccallum.ta...@gmail.com> wrote: > Some of these are considered medicinal, but I don't know if they REALLY > qualify as sources of anything or not. > BTW, might try a seed catalog! ;) > > Poppies produce opium. > Borango officinalis > Arctium lappa > Calendula officinalis > Matricaria recutita > Stellaria media > Coriandrum sativum > Hibiscus sabdariffa > Cymbopogon flexuosus > Lobelia inflata > Silibum marianum > Portulacca oleracae > Capsella bursa-pastoris > Acmella oleracea > Satureja hortensis > Artemesia annua > > Then, some annuals known to be poisonous (the poisons clearly can be used > for other stuff) > milkweeds > nightshade > foxglove ? > Castor Bean (castor oil and ricin) > Water Hemlock (is this a biennial or annual? Can't remember) > > > > > > > On Sat, Nov 8, 2014 at 5:36 PM, David Inouye wrote: > > > I'm wondering whether it's possible to generalize about the life > histories > > of medicinal plants. My guess is that annual plants in general don't > > invest much in secondary plant compounds, so that most medicinal plants > > would be perennial (herbs or shrubs). Do you know of any annuals that > are > > important as medicinal plants? > > > > David Inouye > > > > > > Dr. David W. Inouye, Professor Emeritus > > Department of Biology > > University of Maryland > > College Park, MD 20742-4415 > > > > 2014-15: President, Ecological Society of America > > > > Principal Investigator > > Rocky Mtn. Biological Laboratory > > PO Box 519 > > Crested Butte, CO 81224 > > > > ino...@umd.edu > > 301-405-6946 > > > > > -- > Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP > > > “Nothing is more priceless and worthy of preservation than the rich array > of animal life with which our country has been blessed. It is a > many-faceted treasure, of value to scholars, scientists, and nature lovers > alike, and it forms a vital part of the heritage we all share as > Americans.” > -President Richard Nixon upon signing the Endangered Species Act of 1973 > into law. > > "Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" - Allan > Nation > > 1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert > 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, > and pollution. > 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction > MAY help restore populations. > 2022: Soylent Green is People! > > The Seven Blunders of the World (Mohandas Gandhi) > Wealth w/o work > Pleasure w/o conscience > Knowledge w/o character > Commerce w/o morality > Science w/o humanity > Worship w/o sacrifice > Politics w/o principle > > Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any > attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may > contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized > review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not > the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and > destroy all copies of the original message. >
Re: [ECOLOG-L] life history of medicinal plants?
prussic acid is widely produced when under stress by annual grasses like sudan grass, sorghrum and others. However, I began to realize this question was further complicated by issues with plants that are perennial in some parts of their range but annual in others. Then there are those plants that we grow as annuals in temperate regions, but grow as perennials in the tropics (tomatoes for example). This is actually pretty complex! On Sat, Nov 8, 2014 at 6:40 PM, Don Dean wrote: > David, I wouldn’t necessarily associate a secondary bioactive compound with > one that can be considered medicinal for humans. Nicotine and urushiol are > among the many that can be produced in short order, so I would argue that a > plant’s secondary compounds can be produced rapidly and not necessarily > have a human medicinal value. > > There are many problems with medicinals; perhaps the most important reason > that they don’t reach the American market is that a natural product cannot > be patented, thus there is no profit motive until it can be “isolated” and > tweaked chemically. This discounts the effect of other compounds working > together. In addition, there is no oversight of herbal remedies in terms > of quality, safety or efficacy. > > Soapbox alert… > > I am growing many perennial medicinal plants in the Amazon although I have > no need nor desire to use any of them personally. Disturbingly, ayahuasca > is becoming ever more popular. A vine with mind-altering capability, it > can addle the brain. > > While on the soapbox, I might recommend Leslie Taylor’s The Healing Power > of Rainforest Herbs. The author does a nice job of tying together folk > lore to peer-reviewed research. Not a commercial, just a personal > favorite. > > … end of soapbox. > > Don Dean > Oakland NJ Schools > projectamazonastree.org > > > On Sat, Nov 8, 2014 at 6:36 PM, David Inouye wrote: > > > I'm wondering whether it's possible to generalize about the life > histories > > of medicinal plants. My guess is that annual plants in general don't > > invest much in secondary plant compounds, so that most medicinal plants > > would be perennial (herbs or shrubs). Do you know of any annuals that > are > > important as medicinal plants? > > > > David Inouye > > > > > > Dr. David W. Inouye, Professor Emeritus > > Department of Biology > > University of Maryland > > College Park, MD 20742-4415 > > > > 2014-15: President, Ecological Society of America > > > > Principal Investigator > > Rocky Mtn. Biological Laboratory > > PO Box 519 > > Crested Butte, CO 81224 > > > > ino...@umd.edu > > 301-405-6946 > -- Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP “Nothing is more priceless and worthy of preservation than the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed. It is a many-faceted treasure, of value to scholars, scientists, and nature lovers alike, and it forms a vital part of the heritage we all share as Americans.” -President Richard Nixon upon signing the Endangered Species Act of 1973 into law. "Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" - Allan Nation 1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution. 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction MAY help restore populations. 2022: Soylent Green is People! The Seven Blunders of the World (Mohandas Gandhi) Wealth w/o work Pleasure w/o conscience Knowledge w/o character Commerce w/o morality Science w/o humanity Worship w/o sacrifice Politics w/o principle Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] life history of medicinal plants?
David, I wouldn’t necessarily associate a secondary bioactive compound with one that can be considered medicinal for humans. Nicotine and urushiol are among the many that can be produced in short order, so I would argue that a plant’s secondary compounds can be produced rapidly and not necessarily have a human medicinal value. There are many problems with medicinals; perhaps the most important reason that they don’t reach the American market is that a natural product cannot be patented, thus there is no profit motive until it can be “isolated” and tweaked chemically. This discounts the effect of other compounds working together. In addition, there is no oversight of herbal remedies in terms of quality, safety or efficacy. Soapbox alert… I am growing many perennial medicinal plants in the Amazon although I have no need nor desire to use any of them personally. Disturbingly, ayahuasca is becoming ever more popular. A vine with mind-altering capability, it can addle the brain. While on the soapbox, I might recommend Leslie Taylor’s The Healing Power of Rainforest Herbs. The author does a nice job of tying together folk lore to peer-reviewed research. Not a commercial, just a personal favorite. … end of soapbox. Don Dean Oakland NJ Schools projectamazonastree.org On Sat, Nov 8, 2014 at 6:36 PM, David Inouye wrote: > I'm wondering whether it's possible to generalize about the life histories > of medicinal plants. My guess is that annual plants in general don't > invest much in secondary plant compounds, so that most medicinal plants > would be perennial (herbs or shrubs). Do you know of any annuals that are > important as medicinal plants? > > David Inouye > > > Dr. David W. Inouye, Professor Emeritus > Department of Biology > University of Maryland > College Park, MD 20742-4415 > > 2014-15: President, Ecological Society of America > > Principal Investigator > Rocky Mtn. Biological Laboratory > PO Box 519 > Crested Butte, CO 81224 > > ino...@umd.edu > 301-405-6946
Re: [ECOLOG-L] life history of medicinal plants?
Some of these are considered medicinal, but I don't know if they REALLY qualify as sources of anything or not. BTW, might try a seed catalog! ;) Poppies produce opium. Borango officinalis Arctium lappa Calendula officinalis Matricaria recutita Stellaria media Coriandrum sativum Hibiscus sabdariffa Cymbopogon flexuosus Lobelia inflata Silibum marianum Portulacca oleracae Capsella bursa-pastoris Acmella oleracea Satureja hortensis Artemesia annua Then, some annuals known to be poisonous (the poisons clearly can be used for other stuff) milkweeds nightshade foxglove ? Castor Bean (castor oil and ricin) Water Hemlock (is this a biennial or annual? Can't remember) On Sat, Nov 8, 2014 at 5:36 PM, David Inouye wrote: > I'm wondering whether it's possible to generalize about the life histories > of medicinal plants. My guess is that annual plants in general don't > invest much in secondary plant compounds, so that most medicinal plants > would be perennial (herbs or shrubs). Do you know of any annuals that are > important as medicinal plants? > > David Inouye > > > Dr. David W. Inouye, Professor Emeritus > Department of Biology > University of Maryland > College Park, MD 20742-4415 > > 2014-15: President, Ecological Society of America > > Principal Investigator > Rocky Mtn. Biological Laboratory > PO Box 519 > Crested Butte, CO 81224 > > ino...@umd.edu > 301-405-6946 -- Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP “Nothing is more priceless and worthy of preservation than the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed. It is a many-faceted treasure, of value to scholars, scientists, and nature lovers alike, and it forms a vital part of the heritage we all share as Americans.” -President Richard Nixon upon signing the Endangered Species Act of 1973 into law. "Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" - Allan Nation 1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution. 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction MAY help restore populations. 2022: Soylent Green is People! The Seven Blunders of the World (Mohandas Gandhi) Wealth w/o work Pleasure w/o conscience Knowledge w/o character Commerce w/o morality Science w/o humanity Worship w/o sacrifice Politics w/o principle Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] life history of medicinal plants?
For whatever Wickipedia is worth, this article lists some 200 plants used in traditional and modern medicine. Most listed are perennial, but a few are annual or biennial. Among the annuals is the opium poppy. David Inouye wrote: > I'm wondering whether it's possible to generalize about the life > histories of medicinal plants. My guess is that annual plants in > general don't invest much in secondary plant compounds, so that most > medicinal plants would be perennial (herbs or shrubs). Do you know > of any annuals that are important as medicinal plants? > > David Inouye > > > Dr. David W. Inouye, Professor Emeritus > Department of Biology > University of Maryland > College Park, MD 20742-4415 > > 2014-15: President, Ecological Society of America > > Principal Investigator > Rocky Mtn. Biological Laboratory > PO Box 519 > Crested Butte, CO 81224 > > ino...@umd.edu > 301-405-6946 -- David McNeely
