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Questions and Answers
What percentage of foreign organic matter is allowed in Colchicum seeds?
What is the minimum percentage of colchicine that Colchicum seeds should yield?
What is the function of colchicine in plant cells?
What is the minimum percentage of alkaloids that Nux vomica seeds should yield?
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What is the minimum percentage of strychnine alkaloid that Nux vomica seeds should yield?
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What is the approximate length of the embryo in Colchicum seeds?
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What is the percentage of glucose in Colchicum seeds?
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What is the use of Colchicum seeds due to their colchicine content?
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What is the percentage of fixed oil in Colchicum seeds?
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What is the shape of Nux vomica seeds?
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Study Notes
Seeds of Various Plants
Nux Vomica Seeds
- Dried ripe seeds of Strychnos nux vomica (Fam.Loganiaceae)
- Contains not more than 1% foreign organic matter and yields not less than 2.5% of alkaloids, and not less than 1.2% strychnine alkaloid
- Odor: odorless
- Taste: intense bitter and persistant taste
- Seed: disc-shaped, compressed, nearly flat, usually concave on one side and convex on the other
- Very hard seed due to the hemicellulosic thick walled endosperm
Nutmeg Seeds
- Dried ripe seeds of Myristica fragrans (Fam.Myristicaceae)
- Contains alkaloids (strychnine and brucine), chlorogenic acid, loganin (iridoid glycoside), and fixed oil (3%)
- Stimulates the muscular coat of the intestine, increasing peristalsis
- Large doses cause violent convulsions and can cause death
- Chemical tests: powder + nitric acid + examine under microscope = orange red color in the endospermic cells
- Powder + Mandalin’s reagent (sulfovanadic acid) = violet color
Mace
- Arillode of the seed of Myristica fragrans
- Removed by hand, dried in sun which acquires a yellowish or orange brown color
- Contains 4-15% volatile oil
- Used as a condiment and carminative
Castor Seeds
- Dried seeds of Ricinus communis Linn. (Fam. Euphorbiaceae)
- Fixed Oil 46-63%
- Protein 26%
- Ricin (toxic protein)
- Ricinine alkaloid (toxic alkaloid)
- Castor oil (colorless or pale yellow, slight odor, acrid taste) is used as a purgative due to its ricinoleic acid content
Pumpkin Seeds
- Dried seeds of Cucurbita pepo (Fam. Cucurbitaceae)
- Contains unsaturated fatty acids and phytosterols
- Oil of the seed is used for benign prostatic hyperplesia, Atherosclerosis, and Male infertility
Evening Primrose
- No specific information provided
Colchicum Seeds
- Dried ripe seeds of Colchicum autumnale Linne (Fam. Liliaceae)
- Contains not more than 2% foreign organic matter and yields not less than 0.5% colchicine
- Odor: odorless
- Taste: unpleasant, bitter and acrid taste
- Seed: small, ovoid, or subglobular, 2-3 mm in diameter
- Internally: straight embryo, about 0.5 m long, adjacent to the micropyle
- Fixed oil 1%
- Glucose 5%
- Colchicine is a plant hormone, inducing polyploidy in plant cells, and has potent cytotoxic and anticancer activity, but is highly toxic
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Description
This quiz covers the constituents of seeds, including alkaloids, chlorogenic acid, and loganin, as well as their uses and chemical tests. Topics include the effects of seeds on the stomach and intestine, and the risks of toxicity.
