|
Chicory (beverage)
Common chicory (''Cichorium intybus'') is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Native to Europe, it has been introduced to the Americas and Australia. Many varieties are cultivated for salad leaves, chicons (blanching (horticulture), blanched buds), or roots (var. ''sativum''), which are baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute and food additive. In the 21st century, inulin, an extract from chicory root, has been used in food manufacturing as a sweetener and source of dietary fiber. Chicory is also grown as a forage crop for livestock. Description When flowering, chicory has a tough, grooved, and more or less hairy stem. It can grow to tall. The leaves are stalked, lanceolate and unlobed; they range from in length (smallest near the top) and wide. The flower heads are wide, and usually light blue or lavender; it has also rarely been described as white or pink. Of the two rows of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming organisms. He is known as the "father of modern Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy". Many of his writings were in Latin; his name is rendered in Latin as and, after his 1761 ennoblement, as . Linnaeus was the son of a curate and was born in Råshult, in the countryside of Småland, southern Sweden. He received most of his higher education at Uppsala University and began giving lectures in botany there in 1730. He lived abroad between 1735 and 1738, where he studied and also published the first edition of his ' in the Netherlands. He then returned to Sweden where he became professor of medicine and botany at Uppsala. In the 1740s, he was sent on several journeys through Sweden to find and classify plants and animals. In the 1750s and 1760s, he co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lanceolate
The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflet (botany), leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular or irregular, and may be smooth or have hair, bristles, or spines. For more terms describing other aspects of leaves besides their overall morphology see the leaf#Terminology, leaf article. The terms listed here all are supported by technical and professional usage, but they cannot be represented as mandatory or undebatable; readers must use their judgement. Authors often use terms arbitrarily, or coin them to taste, possibly in ignorance of established terms, and it is not always clear whether because of ignorance, or personal preference, or because usages change with time or context, or because of variation between specimens, even specimens from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polysaccharide
Polysaccharides (), or polycarbohydrates, are the most abundant carbohydrates found in food. They are long-chain polymeric carbohydrates composed of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages. This carbohydrate can react with water (hydrolysis) using amylase enzymes as catalyst, which produces constituent sugars (monosaccharides or oligosaccharides). They range in structure from linear to highly branched. Examples include storage polysaccharides such as starch, glycogen and galactogen and structural polysaccharides such as hemicellulose and chitin. Polysaccharides are often quite heterogeneous, containing slight modifications of the repeating unit. Depending on the structure, these macromolecules can have distinct properties from their monosaccharide building blocks. They may be amorphous or even insoluble in water. When all the monosaccharides in a polysaccharide are the same type, the polysaccharide is called a homopolysaccharide or homoglycan, but when more t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glycoside
In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. These can be activated by enzymatic, enzyme hydrolysis, which causes the sugar part to be broken off, making the chemical available for use. Many such plant glycosides are used as medications. Several species of ''Heliconius'' butterfly are capable of incorporating these plant compounds as a form of chemical defense against predators. In animals and humans, poisons are often bound to sugar molecules as part of their elimination from the body. In formal terms, a glycoside is any molecule in which a sugar group is bonded through its anomeric carbon to another group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides can be linked by an O- (an ''O-glycoside''), N- (a ''glycosylamine''), S-(a ''thioglycoside''), or C- (a ''C-glycoside'') glycosidic bond. Accord ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coumarin
Coumarin () or 2''H''-chromen-2-one is an aromatic organic chemical compound with formula . Its molecule can be described as a benzene molecule with two adjacent hydrogen atoms replaced by an unsaturated lactone ring , forming a second six-membered heterocycle that shares two carbons with the benzene ring. It belongs to the benzopyrone chemical class and is considered a lactone. Coumarin is a colorless crystalline solid with a sweet odor resembling the scent of vanilla and a bitter taste. It is found in many plants, where it may serve as a chemical defense against predators. While coumarin is not an anticoagulant, its 3-alkyl-4-hydroxy derivatives, such as the fungal metabolite dicoumarol, inhibit synthesis of vitamin K, a key component in blood clotting. A related compound, the prescription drug anticoagulant warfarin, is used to inhibit formation of blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism. Etymology Coumarin is derived from , the French word for the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scopoletin
Scopoletin is a coumarin found in the root of plants in the genus '' Scopolia'' such as ''Scopolia carniolica'' and '' Scopolia japonica'', in chicory, in '' Artemisia scoparia'', in the roots and leaves of stinging nettle (''Urtica dioica''), in the passion flower, in '' Brunfelsia'', in ''Viburnum prunifolium'', in ''Solanum nigrum'', in ''Datura metel'', in '' Mallotus resinosus'', and in ''Kleinhovia hospita''. It can also be found in fenugreek, vinegar, some whiskies and in dandelion coffee. A similar coumarin is scoparone. Scopoletin is highly fluorescent when dissolved in DMSO or water and is regularly used as a fluorimetric assay for the detection of hydrogen peroxide in conjunction with horseradish peroxidase. When oxidized, its fluorescence is strongly suppressed. Chemistry Biosynthesis Like most phenylpropanoids, the biosynthetic precursor to scopoletin acid is 4-coumaroyl-CoA. Scopoletin is derived from 1,2-benzopyrones which is the core structure of coumarins for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Umbelliferone
Umbelliferone, also known as 7-hydroxycoumarin, hydrangine, skimmetine, and ''beta''-umbelliferone, is a natural product of the coumarin family. It absorbs ultraviolet light strongly at several wavelengths. There are some indications that this chemical is antimutagenic, it is used in sunscreens. Umbelliferone has been reported to have antioxidant properties. It is a yellowish-white crystalline solid that has a slight solubility in hot water, but high solubility in ethanol. Natural occurrences and name Umbelliferone's name is from the umbelliferae family of plants, and the plant family in turn was named for their umbrella-shaped inflorescences, each called an umbel. Umbelliferone occurs in many familiar plants from the Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) family such as carrot, coriander and garden angelica, as well as in plants from other families, such as the mouse-ear hawkweed (''Hieracium pilosella'', Asteraceae) or the bigleaf hydrangea (''Hydrangea macrophylla'', Hydrangeaceae, under ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aesculin
Aesculin, also called æsculin or esculin, is a coumarin glucoside that naturally occurs in the trees horse chestnut (''Aesculus hippocastanum''), California buckeye (''Aesculus californica''), and prickly box (''Bursaria spinosa''). It is also found in daphnin (the dark green resin of '' Daphne mezereum''), dandelion coffee, and olive bark. It is reported to be present in olive bark, but not in olive leaf; therefore, identification of aesculin in abundance in an olive extract indicates that the extract has been derived from olive bark. Uses Aesculin is also used in a microbiology laboratory to aid in the identification of bacterial species (especially ''Enterococci'' and Listeria). In fact, all strains of Group D Streptococci hydrolyze aesculin in 40% bile. Aesculin hydrolysis test Aesculin is incorporated into agar with ferric citrate and bile salts ( bile aesculin agar). [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aesculetin
Aesculetin (also known as esculetin, 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin and cichorigenin) is a derivative of coumarin. It is a natural lactone that derives from the intramolecular cyclization of a cinnamic acid derivative. It is present in chicory and in many toxic plant, toxic and medicinal plants, in form of glycosides and caffeic acid conjugates. This compound is used in some sunscreens, but there is evidence that it acts as a photosensitizer for DNA damage. The sodium salt of its methyl-derivative is used in dermatology for the treatment of varicose veins. It is a blue fluorescence compound found in plants. Aesculin, the glucoside of aesculetin, will fluorescence, fluoresce under long wave ultraviolet light (360 nanometre, nm). The hydrolysis of aesculin results in loss of this fluorescence. Aesculetin has the ability to quench the inner fluorescence of bovine serum albumin. Aesculetin can be transformed into scopoletin (7-hydroxy-6-methoxycoumarin) and isoscopoletin (6-hydroxy-7-me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lactucopicrin
Lactucopicrin (Intybin) is a bitter substance that has a sedative and analgesic effect, acting on the central nervous system. It is a sesquiterpene lactone, and is a component of lactucarium, derived from the plant ''Lactuca virosa'' (wild lettuce), as well as being found in some related plants such as '' Cichorium intybus''. It is also found in dandelion coffee. As well as their traditional use as sedatives and analgesics, these plants have also been used as antimalarials, and both lactucin and lactucopicrin have demonstrated antimalarial effects ''in vitro''. Lactucopicrin has also been shown to act as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. See also * Lactucin Lactucin is a bitter substance that forms a white crystalline solid and belongs to the group of sesquiterpene lactones. It is found in some varieties of lettuce and is an ingredient of lactucarium. It is also found in dandelion coffee. It has b ... References {{Acetylcholine metabolism and transport modulator ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lactucin
Lactucin is a bitter substance that forms a white crystalline solid and belongs to the group of sesquiterpene lactones. It is found in some varieties of lettuce and is an ingredient of lactucarium. It is also found in dandelion coffee. It has been shown to have analgesic and sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or Psychomotor agitation, excitement. They are central nervous system (CNS) Depressant, depressants and interact with brain activity, causing its decelera ... properties, which are speculated to occur via modulation of the GABAA receptor, as well as antimalarial activity. See also * Lactucopicrin References Sesquiterpene lactones Primary alcohols Secondary alcohols Enones Azulenofurans Lactones Vinylidene compounds Diols {{ketone-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
