BOT 2000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Rheumatism, Arrow Poison, Xerostomia
Document Summary
Chemical structures of most psychoactive drugs isolated from plants contain nitrogen; some exceptions incl. salvinorin a & delta-trans-tetrahydrocannbinol. Alkaloid: nitrogen containing plant secondary metabolites, basic: further grouped according to where location of nitrogen. Feelings encountered when consuming psychoactive substances are related to the way in which chemicals interact with the cns & pns: agonist/antagonist action on receptors, or modulating neurotransmitter levels. Anandamide: natural neurotransmitter found in cns & pns, interacts with cannabinoid receptors. Consumption of marijuana made from the uorescence > thc enters system & crosses bbb and interacts with cannabinoid receptors in similar manner: thc activates the receptor to illicit a psychoactive response. Dioecious: male and female plants exist separately in nature. Early cultivation in china - plants grown together at high density, limiting branching and owering useful for growing hemp, producing tall, slender & ber rich plants that could be used to make clothing & other textiles.
