Nicotine is an alkaloid.
An alkaloid is a nitrogenous-type organic compound produced by certain plants. These compounds generate physiological effects of different kinds, which constitute the basis of drugs such as cocaine and morphine .
Alkaloids are secondary metabolites of plants that are synthesized by amino acids. An alkaloid, therefore, is a chemical compound that has nitrogen that comes from the metabolic process of an amino acid. When their origin is different, they are called pseudoalkaloids .
Alkaloid poisoning
By generating effects on the central nervous system , alkaloids can poison humans. Therefore, given that they are present in vegetables, it is possible that poisoning occurs casually, when a person ingests a food whose properties are unknown.
It is essential to understand that most alkaloids have their origin in the plant kingdom; so much so, that approximately 10% of all plant species have alkaloids . In some cases, these compounds appear in all parts of the plant, as occurs with the yew (scientific name is Taxus bacata ), a tree highly appreciated by birds, of which it is only possible to use its aril as food, the only non-poisonous part.
Coffea arabica concentrates alkaloids in its seeds.
Its location in the plant
In other plants, alkaloids tend to be only in some of the following parts, or abundant in them in proportion to the others:
* the leaves : tea ( Camellia sinensis ) and tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum ) are just two examples of the many vegetables in which alkaloids are found in a greater proportion in the leaves than in the rest of the body;
* the seeds : in this case, some of the plants that present alkaloids in the seeds are caffeine ( Coffea arabica ) and strychnine from the vomica nut, a species of large tree that was known in Europe in the 1500s and began being used as poison;
* the roots : in aconite ( Aconitum napellus ), in atropine that usually appears in nightshade ( Atropa Belladona ) and in pitolacin that occurs in pokeweed ( Phytolacca Americana ) we can see three cases of plants that have alkaloids in the roots;
* the fruits : finally, the fruits of the aforementioned nightshade, the berries , and the hemlock ( Conium maculatum ) have a good concentration of alkaloids.
Before focusing on the possible effects of alkaloids on our body, it is necessary to understand that plants apply them to different functions , which we can broadly divide into three groups: defensive (they use these compounds to protect themselves from attacks by animals ); hormonal (similar to what happens in animals with adrenaline, for example); allelopathic (to influence other plants positively or negatively, as suits you).
Alkaloids and humans
Alkaloids are psychoactive : therefore they contribute to reducing pain and treating mental disorders. Beyond medicinal use, alkaloids are also used for non-therapeutic purposes, putting health at risk.
An alkaloid can cause dependence in the person, who even experiences physical and psychological changes when not consuming it (the so-called withdrawal syndrome). In some cases, as is the case with cocaine , the addiction it generates is very strong and the health effects are very harmful due to consumption. In other products, the effects are minor, as is the case with caffeine .
It is important to keep in mind that alkaloids are not harmful or beneficial by themselves, but it depends on the use they are given. Morphine , for example, is very important in inhibiting pain after surgery or while a patient suffers from cancer , but it can also cause kidney failure or pancreatitis when abused.