TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Toxic Effects of Plants and Animals A1 - Watkins, John B. A2 - Klaassen, Curtis D. PY - 2019 T2 - Casarett & Doull’s Toxicology: The Basic Science of Poisons, 9th edition AB - The earliest humans have used plant extracts and animal venoms for hunting, war, assassination, and political intrigue for millennia. The Ebers Papyrus, which dates to around 1550 BC, describes concoctions using plant substances as primary ingredients. The toxic properties of plants and animals often enhance their ability to survive in their surroundings and against predators. Some toxic compounds are used primarily to aid an animal in obtaining food, whereas plants have developed toxic properties to specifically ward off being used as food. These toxic compounds are invaluable as tools and in the insight that they provide into the systems that they disrupt and poison. One major complication to the study of plant and animal poisons arises from their complexity as mixtures. Studies readily separate and evaluate individual components, but it is very difficult to use purified components to make the original toxin or venom. Nevertheless, extensive study of many toxins has contributed to a greater understanding of their biology and chemistry. Toxins have been utilized as tools to study human biochemistry and physiology in order to pave the way for new pharmaceuticals. Clinical evaluation of human poisoning is complicated by questionable identification of plant or animal species and the inability to quantify the level of exposure. In this chapter, an overview of specific plant and animal toxins and their effects will precede a short discussion of the considerable effort to harness the natural pharmacopeia for clinical use. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accessbiomedicalscience.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1158502877 ER -