Squirrels
.High molecular weight nitrogen-containing substances. They are composed of various amino acids, some of which are biologically active. For example, nucleic acid plays an important role in the manifestations of heredity. Hydrolysis of nucleic acids in some plants produces caffeine, theobromine.
Fats
.A mixture of esters of higher fatty acids (linolenic fatty acid, linoleic fatty acid, arachidonic fatty acid) and glycerol. The bulk of the fatty acids humans get only from plant foods. According to the biological properties of fatty acids (lowering blood cholesterol, inhibition of atherosclerosis), some of the fatty acids are also attributed to vitamins. Various plant oils are widely used in medicine alone or as a base for other medicines (ointments, lineaments).
Carbohydrates
.in plants make up 70-80%. They combine mono-oligo- and polysaccharides. For example, glucose is a monosaccharide. Starch, cellulose and glycogen are built from glucose. The green parts of plants are high in fructose, which is part of polysaccharides. Sucrose is already an oligosaccharide. They are found in leaves, seeds, fruits, berries, and tubers. Fiber (cellulose), of which all plant membranes are composed, is also a polysaccharide. For example, in wood it is up to 50%. The intercellular spaces of plants contain pectins, which are related to polysaccharides. They are abundant in berries, fruits. Thanks to pectins gelled marmalades, jams. Once in the body, pectins are not digested, but adsorb poisonous and harmful substances and remove them. Close to pectins are mucilages and gum.
Organic acids
.impart flavor to fruits, berries, and leaves. Among these, formic acid, acetic acid, oxalic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, tartaric acid, and citric acid are most commonly found in plants.
Alkaloids (salts of organic acids)
physiologically active substances. Many alkaloids:
morphine, papaverine, caffeine, codeine, ephedrine, strychnine, atropine, berberine, - are widely used in the treatment of all sorts of diseases.
Glycosides
.compounds of organic acids with glucose. They impart flavor and aroma to plant foods. The aglycone produced from glycosides by boiling determines their physiological activity. These include saponins, which form a persistent foam when shaken with water. They are used as an expectorant and antisclerotic. Bitters are also glycosides. They are nitrogen-free substances with a bitter taste. They are used to increase the secretion of gastric juice, due to which digestion is improved.
Flavonoids (flavone glycosides or their aglycones)
give plants their yellow-orange coloration. Flavonoids are heterocyclic compounds that are nearly insoluble in water. Many plants are colored due to their quercetrin content, also belonging to the flavonoid group. A derivative of flavones is, for example, hesperidin, which gives citrus fruits their color. Flavonoids serve as the basis for the creation of many medicinal and vitamin preparations. Close to flavone glycosides and anthocyanins, which color black currants, cranberries.
Tannins (tannins, tannides)
are involved in coagulation of glue solutions and formation of insoluble precipitates with alkaloids and lead salts. The word "tannins" comes from their high content in oak bark (up to 20-30% in some plants). Catechins are also tannins (derivatives of flavonols and anthocyanins). The astringent and anti-inflammatory properties of tannins are used in the creation of medicines to treat gastrointestinal and other diseases.
Essential Oils
.give plants their distinctive aroma. They are mixtures of various volatile nitrogen-free substances, mainly terpenes and their derivatives. Essential oils have antimicrobial, analgesic, and cough suppressant properties. They contain alcohols, such as menthol. Resins are closer to essential oils in chemical composition, but are more often solid or semi-liquid.
Phytoncides
.unite organic substances of different chemical composition, and what they have in common is their strong antimicrobial properties.
Vitamins
.play a very important role in the vital functions of the body. Most vitamins come from plant foods, and a very small portion of vitamins are synthesized by the animal body. Many plants contain the pigment carotene (provitamin A), which is converted in the body into vitamin A. Carotene gives plants their orange-red color (carrots, nettles, rowanberries). Vitamin A deficiency leads to dysfunction of the nervous system, lower resistance to infectious diseases. Many plants contain vitamins that promote body growth, normal intestinal peristalsis, and vitamin B2, necessary for protein and fat synthesis, liver and stomach activity. Other B vitamins found in plants are B3, B6, B12, B15 - and also contain vitamins D, E, K, P, PP, C, F, U, and folic acid. Among the beneficial substances in plants are hormones, enzymes, and mineral salts.
So, the most important active substances are considered to be alkaloids, cardiac glucosides, some saponins, flavonoids, coumarins, amino acids, polysaccharides and others.
According to their effect on the human body, medicinal plants are divided into analgesic, .Cardiovascular, urinary, biliary and diaphoretic, expectorant, wound-healing, laxative, stiffening, insecticidal. This is sometimes how plants are grouped when they are described. But in our case, when the number of plants is not so large, it is more convenient to arrange them alphabetically..
