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ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY PAGE.

PHARMACOLOGICALLY ACTIVE PHYTOCHEMICALS.

WARNING - THIS PAGE CONTAINS SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION AND MAY BE PAINFUL TO YOUR BRAIN. YOU MAY FIND IT INTERESTING SO PLEASE - DON'T BE INTIMIDATED BY THE LANGUAGE.

QUERCITIN - chemical found in many plant genera - Acacia, Aesculus, Allium, Aster, Cornus, Crocus, Erigeron, Euphoria, Fuchsia, Hypericum, Iris, Polygonum, Prunus, Quercus, Rhamnus, Ribes, Rosa, Solidago, Trifolium, Viola, Vitis, Zea.

Fuchsia - toxin is quercitin.

QUERCETIN is widely distributed in the plant kingdom. The six carbon sugar containing QUERCETIN is called QUERCITRIN. The double six carbon sugar quercetin is called RUTIN.

RUTIN was first isolated from rue (Ruta graveolens). It is best known for its ability to decrease capillary permeability and fragility. It is also suggested to have anticancer properties; to counteract edema; atherogenesis; inflammation; spasms; hypertension; diabetes; allergic manifestations and stroke prevention.

RUE leaves are used to season cheese, meat, salads, stews, vegetables, and wine. Rue and oil of rue are on the Food and Drug Administrations - GRAS list (Generally Regarded As Safe). Oil of rue is used as a flavor component (e.g. coconut type) in many alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, baked goods, candy, frozen dairy desserts, gelatin, and pudding. The levels used are below 2 ppm (0.0002 per cent).

Handling of rue foliage, flowers, and/or fruit can produce buring, redness, itching, and blister formation. Taken internally, rue oil can cause severe stomach pain, vomiting, exhaustion, confusion and convulsions.

Rue oil contains thirty plus plant chemicals including rutin. For more information on plants and their chemicals please check out HANDBOOK OF MEDICINAL HERBS by James A. Duke (CRC Press).

CONGRATULATIONS - you made it through the toughest part of the page. Now lets consider what this all may mean to you and I.

We can see from some of the information on this page that plants have been used by many peoples as flavorings; to treat illnesses and for other purposes. However, we also see that the three chemicals mentioned , quercitin, quercitrin and rutin are identical except for the presence of, or absence of sugar. As mentioned above there are many chemicals present within each plant. Can we ascribe all of the actions or uses of the plant to one chemical? I think not. For more information on this subject -