Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
A related species,
Cocculus laurifolius,
has also been shown to be hypotensive.
298
Several alka-
loids belonging to the
Erythrina
group have been isolated from the plant, together with dibenz[
df
]
azonine,
proaporphine, quaternary aporphine, morphinandienone, and 1-benzyl-tetrahydroisoqui-
none alkaloids.
229
Isococculidine, which is the major alkaloid found in the leaves, has been shown
to have neuroblocking and hypotensive activities.
108
Cocculudine and cocculine were also found to
be hypotensive. It has been suggested that the activities of these bases could be due to a ganglionic
blocking action.
71
The quaternary aporphine alkaloids isolated from the plant, magnoflorine lauri-
foline chlorides, O
-
methyl isocorydine, and boldine methochlorides, exhibited
d-
tubercuranine-like
curarizing action on sciatic skeletal muscles, as well as a hypotensive effect in dogs, cats, and rab-
bits.
81
Isocorydine methochloride has been shown to exert its neuromuscular activity by the induc-
tion of a nondepolarizing effect, as observed in the rat phrenic nerve diaphragm and cat anterior
tibialis peroneal nerve preparations.
300
The antihypertensive activity of the drug has been related to
its effect on histamine release. It was found that, at the dose at which complete blockage of neuro-
muscular transmission was observed and blood pressure was lowered, ganglionic transmission was
not affected.
301
COCOS NUCIFERA
Botanical Name —
Cocos nucifera
L.
Synonyms —
Coccus mammilaris
Blanco.,
Calappa nucifera
(L.) Kuntze.,
Cocos indica
Royle.,
Cocos nana
Griff.,
Palma cocos
Mill
Family —
Arecaceae
Common Names —
Coconut
African Names —
Arab: gos el-hind; Bambara: coco; Hausa: kwarkwar-attagara; Igbo: aki-
beke; Swahili: nazi (mbata = copra); Yoruba: igi agbon
Description —
The coconut is a monoecious palm tree 200 m in height. Its trunk is striated or
curved but unbranched, with marked foliar scars, and topped by a crown of pinnet leaves, ranging
from 3 to 5 m in length and about 30 in number. There is a central bud, which if cut off leads to the
death of the whole tree. The inflorescence is surrounded by spathes; the male and female flowers are
produced separately in the leaf axils, usually succeeding each other on a long stalk. It produces many
