Corkscrew Flower or Spider Tresses, Strophanthus preussii, Apocynaceae, Tropical West Africa

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Corkscrew Flower or Spider Tresses, Strophanthus preussii, Apocynaceae, Tropical West Africa. Plants from this genus produce toxic alkaloids and cardiac glycosides g-strophanthin (syn. ouabain), k-strophanthin and e-strophanthin. As ordinarily administered, the drug acts on the heart before influencing any other organ or tissue. Often indeed no other action can be observed. It is used to produce the drug Ouabain which was taken as a cardiac stimulant to treat heart failure, and is similar to the drug Digoxin produced from the foxglove. Several of the African tribes used Strophanthus as the principal ingredient in arrow poison.

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Size: 3414px × 5121px
Location: West Africa
Photo credit: © Florapix / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: africa, alkaloid, alkaloids, apocynaceae, arrow, botanical, botany, cardiac, corkscrew, drug, flora, florapix, flower, flowers, glycosides, green, heart, inflorescence, leaf, leaves, natural, nature, ouabain, pink, plant, plants, poison, preusii, preussii, red, spider, stimulant, strophanthin, strophanthus, toxic, tresses, tropical, west, white