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Definition
- plants we don't use for nutritional value, per se
- "secondary nutrition" |
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- blue-green algae spirulina, synthesize vitamin b12
- much more efficient than scientists chemically trying to |
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Definition
- things we've talked about so far (photosynthesis, DNA synthesis, etc)
- characterized by the processes and chemicals involved in basic cellular
functions such as photosynthesis, respiration, protein, fat,
carbohydrate, and nucleic acid synthesis |
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Term
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Definition
- uses chemicals from primary
metabolism as starting material to synthesize a wide array of very heterogeneous and often more complex compounds that are not involved in primary metabolism.
- Often exist as chemical defenses, pigments, scent attractants, or protective coverings for plants.
- plants need better defenses because they can't run away from a fight
- plants express themselves chemically--each set of plants has a different set of chemicals but has an effect on animals that will eat those plants and plant defense |
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| ex. caffeine as a defense |
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Definition
| - caffeine: imagine a teeny insect biting into a seed with caffeine--they'll probably die; since humans are bigger we don't die to it, but experience a beneficial physiological effect |
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| exs. of secondary chemicals |
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Definition
| as adjuncts to food (herbs, spices, stimulating beverages) or as medicine, perfume, dyes, or tannins. |
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Term
| uses of spices, herbs and perfumes |
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Definition
Little distinction made among them in early societies where they were often used ritually in religious ceremonies (incense, e.g.), mummification or embalming, or in shamanism
- When used in food have no food value, rather used solely for sensory experience
- Spices, herbs, and perfumes are used for their essential oils. These are volatile compounds which we can smell.
- Different cultures are characterized by different preferences for various plants. |
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Term
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Definition
- Essential oils produced by flowers used to attract pollinators while those in leaves, stems, and roots usually function as defense.
- Except for mace and nutmeg, use of these plants by people has very little toxicity or physiological effect. |
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| botanical vs culinary definitions of herbs and spices |
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Definition
- Botanically, an herb is a non-woody plant (herbacious plant) whereas spice has no botanical definition.
- in a culinary sense herb tends to be used to refer to leafy plant parts used for their essential oils whereas spices are those used for essential oils in their bark, roots, seeds, flowers, etc. |
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- Herbs and spices may also be distinguished by their geographic origins
- herbs from temperate areas and spices from the tropics
- Exceptions from the carrot family (Apiaceae or Umbelliferae) where dill, coriander, caraway, cumin, fenugreek, are used for their seeds but are classified as temperate herbs.
- When used medicinally, both referred to as herbs |
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| herbs and spices in history |
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Definition
- Spice trade began here because these plants not native to Egypt and had to be imported, leading to creation of trade routes to Southeast Asia, China, Middle East, Arabia, and India by 1400 B.C.
- Greeks expanded the trade routes founding Alexandria as trade center of the Mediterranean.
- Europe’s supply reduced during early and late Middle Ages, but maintained, like learning, in monasteries. |
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| Herbaceous plants and shrubs that dominate Mediterranean climates. Produce wide diversity of essential oils, but all share opposite leaves, square stems, and bilabiate corolla specialized for bee pollination. |
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- all spice and vanilla came from columbus and the new world
- without the spice trade we wouldn't have had the conquest |
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- 75 percent of the world’s population depends on herbal
medicine. Why?
- 25 percent of pharmaceuticals contain plant extracts and 10 percent of pharmaceuticals have plants as their primary active ingredient. Many of the non-plant derived drugs are synthesized using plant secondary compounds as templates. |
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Term
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Definition
- Active chemical constituents isolated from plant extracts—quinine, morphine, ephedrine, penicillin, etc.
- still relies on
- scientists knew they could find a drug that could fit into the whatever molecule that directly stops pain--vioxx--then gave people heart attacks
- search for a cure for childhood luekemia, looked at rosey periwinkle, extracted an alkaloid from it, purified the drug and now there's only 97% cure rate
- Issues surrounding intellectual property rights and biodiversity. |
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Term
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Definition
Paracelsus (1493-1541) burned the works of Galen, Dioscorides, and Theophrastus, stating that he could cure illness better through the use of the doctrine of signatures—that the creator endowed plants with
morphological indicators of what illness they would be effective in treating based on similarity in shape of plant and that of the organ affected. |
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