Family — Euphorbiaceae
The Euphorbiaceae family contains lechery-producing plants, with tree-like, shrub-like, and herbaceous species. The leaves are alternate. The flowers are unisexual, with distinct male and female floral structures. The inflorescences vary in shape. The ovary is superior, typically with three cavities. The fruit is generally a three-celled capsule.
It is an extensive family, and almost all plants are poisonous; the toxic compounds include alkaloids, resins, and proteins.
The family is divided into two subfamilies:
- Phyllanthoideae Subfamily: Develops two ovules per cavity and lacks latex. This subfamily contains the alkaloid-bearing Securinega. This is the only wild plant of this family used in scientific medicine.
- Crotonoideae Subfamily: Develops a single ovule per cavity. This section includes cultivated plants such as castor oil plant (Ricinus) and tung tree (Aleurites). Both have seeds rich in oil, containing a toxic protein substance called toxalbumin. Castor oil acts as a laxative, and tung oil is used for technical purposes. The seeds of the tree have caused poisoning incidents.
Among the wild plants, the genus Euphorbia is of particular interest. All species bear latex with more or less toxic resins called euphorbin, which irritate mucous membranes and cause blistering of the skin. When ingested in proper doses, they act as powerful laxatives, and some species contain alkaloids. Species from the genus Euphorbia are under study.
Previously, the pharmacopoeia included the resin from Euphorbia obtained from the African species Euphorbia resinifera Berg, used to treat furuncles.
SECUROGIRA SUFFRUTICOSA (PALL.) REHD.
A spreading dioecious shrub up to 1.5 meters in height, with thin, straight, light yellow shoots and gray bark on older branches. The leaves are small, glabrous, inversely elliptical, alternate, with tiny leathery stipules. The flowers are unisexual, small, and inconspicuous, greenish in color. The male flowers are clustered in bunches of 3-12 on short pedicels. The sepals are 5, concave, oval, without petals; the stamens are 5-6, protruding from the calyx; the rudimentary ovary is usually trivalvate. The female flowers are solitary or rarely in clusters of 3-8, on longer pedicels (up to 1 cm); the ovary is spherical, with three styles. The fruit is a drooping, three-celled capsule, flattened on top, with three lobes, each containing two seeds. The seeds are smooth, bluntly triangular, with a thin shell. It flowers from June to July and fruits in September.
It grows singly or in small groups on rocky slopes and sandy-gravel deposits, less frequently on forest edges. It is found in the Russian Far East along the Amur River and its tributaries, extending west to Nerchinsk.
The plant material is collected by cutting the leaf-bearing tops of stems and branches, from the bud phase to the fruit maturation phase, from June to September. The plants contain alkaloids: 0.3-0.8% in the leaves, 0.2% in the stem tops, and much less in the fruits. The main alkaloid isolated is securinine.
According to literature, Securinega suffruticosa contains alkaloids such as suffruticodine, suffrutikonine, allosecurinine, dihydrosecurinine, and securinol, while the species growing in Japan contains virosecurin. The roots of the plant from India mainly contain allosecurinine. Related species in the genus contain gordenine (flugrin), viroallosecurinine, and virosin. The composition of alkaloids and their quantitative ratio in different forms and varieties of Securinega suffruticosa varies significantly depending on geographical conditions and developmental phase.
Nitric acid securinine is used internally and subcutaneously as a stimulant for the nervous system. It acts similarly to strychnine, but weaker, and the medication is less toxic.
It is prescribed as a tonic for asthenic conditions, neurasthenia with rapid fatigue, hypotension, paresis, flaccid paralysis, and sexual weakness due to functional disorders of the nervous system.
Excessive doses of securinine can lead to poisoning similar to strychnine, with difficulty swallowing, painful tension in facial, occipital, and other muscles, leading to convulsive contractions in skeletal muscles.
The prescribed dosage is tablets of 0.002 g, twice a day, or a 0.4% solution (in bottles), 10-20 drops twice a day, or a 0.2% solution (in ampoules) of 1 ml subcutaneously once a day. The course of treatment lasts 30-35 days.