Fagopyrin is a term used for several closely related naturally occurring substances in the

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum'') or common buckwheat is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. Buckwheat originated around the 6th millennium BCE in the region of what ...

plant. Their chemical structure contains a

naphthodianthrone ''For the parent molecule 9,10-anthraquinone, see anthraquinone'' Anthraquinones (also known as anthraquinonoids) are a class of naturally occurring phenolic compounds based on the 9,10-anthraquinone skeleton. They are widely used industrially a ...

skeleton similar to that of

hypericin Hypericin is a carbopolycyclic compound derived from bisanthene with antidepressant properties, found in various ''Hypericum'' species, and is being studied for treating cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Opinions differ on the extent to which hypericin ...

. Fagopyrin is located almost exclusively in the

cotyledon A cotyledon ( ; ; "a cavity, small cup, any cup-shaped hollow", gen. (), ) is a "seed leaf" – a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant – and is formally defined as "the embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, one or mor ...

s of the buckwheat herb. When ingested, fagopyrins cause sensitivity to light.

References

External links

Phytopharmaka VII: Forschung und klinische Anwendung
Piperidines Hydroxyarenes Plant toxins Quinones {{aromatic-stub