No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The death of a 23-year-old man resulting from digoxin-like toxicity and heart failure was attributed to ingestion of a West Indian aphrodisiac known as “Love Stone.” GC/MS analyses identified bufotenine, a controlled substance under both US and New York State statutes. In addition, a series of bufadienolides, namely resibufogenin, bufalin, and cinobufagin, were also identified. Bufadienolides, which are derived from toad venom or secretions, are cardiotonic steroids that cause symptoms similar to digoxin. GC/MS analyses of the Chinese medication “Chan Su,” a product derived from toads, produced a highly similar elution profile and contained the same compounds as “Love Stone.” The data demonstrate that the aphrodisiac was also derived from toads.

Leaves of Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium at various stages of development were found to contain differing amounts of pyrethrins. The variation corresponds to the number of oil glands per unit area of leaf surface. Leaf tissue was mechanically and enzymatically separated into lower and upper epidermis and mesophyll cells. Pyrethrins were found to be present in each layer, more pyrethrins were present in the epidermal layers of young leaves while the mesophyll cells were found to have higher pyrethrins in older, more mature cells.