PHAR1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Ebers Papyrus, Cinchona, Paracetamol
Where do drugs come from?
Anti-inflammatories:
Aspirin: the original and best wonder drug
- One of the most widely used drugs (over the counter)
- Popular until paracetamol
- Moderate pain relief effects
- reduces pain, swelling in inflammatory disease
- Lowers body temp in febrile patients
- Antiplatelet effects (prevents blood clots)
The Ebers Papyrus” – 19th century discovery
Edwin Smith US Egyptologist:
- 110 pages of dense text
- hadook of iteral ediie i.e. wors ulers tuours
- 160 herb/plant based remedies
- effectiveness unknown
Tjeret – Willow Tree
- Bitter leaves attracted doctors
- Recommended as a general tonic (oral) and salve to inflamed ears and painful muscles
(arthritis?)
2 examples of ancient awareness of anti-inflammatory actions of willow
- Hippocrates – recommended for fever and childbirth pain
- Celsus – used to relieve 4 signs of inflammation
- rubor (redness), calor (heat), dolor(pain), and tumor (swelling).
-
Rediscovered in 18thC England
Rev. Edward Stone
- Bitter taste like Cinchona: grown in Andes, antipyretic effects
: efficacy against malaria observed by Spanish.
: bark contains quinine.
Cinchona only worked against some fevers
- Needed substitute
- Researched ancient remedies (making powder from dry bark, and administering to suffering),
and prepared stone from willow bark and dried in oven 2-3 weeks
-
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
One of the most widely used drugs (over the counter) Antiplatelet effects (prevents blood clots) (cid:862)the ebers papyrus 19th century discovery. (cid:862)ha(cid:374)d(cid:271)ook of i(cid:374)ter(cid:374)al (cid:373)edi(cid:272)i(cid:374)e (cid:894)i. e. wor(cid:373)s ul(cid:272)ers tu(cid:373)ours(cid:895) Recommended as a general tonic (oral) and salve to inflamed ears and painful muscles (arthritis?) 2 examples of ancient awareness of anti-inflammatory actions of willow. Hippocrates recommended for fever and childbirth pain. Celsus used to relieve 4 signs of inflammation. Rubor (redness), calor (heat), dolor(pain), and tumor (swelling). Bitter taste like cinchona: grown in andes, antipyretic effects. Researched ancient remedies (making powder from dry bark, and administering to suffering), and prepared stone from willow bark and dried in oven 2-3 weeks. 19thc race to extract active ingredients from willow: 1838, piria, split salicin into sugar and salicylaldehyde, converted latter to salicylate. 18947 hoffman acetylated salicylic acid with acetic acid to make acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin). Tested on father minimal gi-tract effects. (cid:862)aspiri(cid:374)(cid:863) (cid:374)a(cid:373)e pate(cid:374)ted (cid:271)y bayer.
