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 <d...@projectamazonas.org> 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 <ino...@umd.edu> 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
>
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