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en>GrimReaper at 08:07, 11 March 2015

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<div>The genus Physalis is composed of some 120</div>
<div>species and is thus the largest genus of its family</div>
<div>(Lu 1986, 80*). Several species are regarded as</div>
<div>toxic, some are raised as ornamentals popular for</div>
<div>their unusual flowers (Chinese lanterns), and</div>
<div>others have ethnomedical significance. Physalis</div>
<div>pubescens 1. and Physalis peruviana 1. (Cape</div>
<div>gooseberry) are the two species most commonly</div>
<div>grown for their fruit. Very mild toxic effects have</div>
<div>been observed following consumption of a large number of berries of Physalis peruviana (Roth et</div>
<div>al. 1994, 560*). The calyx, which surrounds the</div>
<div>seeds like a lantern, can be smoked. It has definite</div>
<div>psychoactive effects that tend to be narcotic in</div>
<div>nature.</div>
<div>Physalis angulata 1., a species from the northwestern</div>
<div>Amazon, is said to be mildly narcotic. Its</div>
<div>juice finds use in Brazilian folk medicine as a</div>
<div>treatment for earaches (Schultes and Raffauf 1991,</div>
<div>43*). Physalis minima, a species from the Caroline</div>
<div>Islands known as poowa, bears fruits that are said</div>
<div>to have an inebriating effect when consumed in</div>
<div>excess (von Reis Altschul 1975, 269*).</div>
<div>The roots of some species of the genus have</div>
<div>yielded tropane alkaloids as well as alkaloids of</div>
<div>the hygrine type (von Reis Altschul 1975, 269*).</div>
<div>The Jew's cherry or lampion flower, Physalis</div>
<div>alkekengi 1. (cf. halicacabon), contains the mildly</div>
<div>toxic bitter principlesphysaline A, B, and C (Roth</div>
<div>et al. 1994, 560*).</div>

[[Category:Ethnobotanical]]

Physalis - Revision history

Sysop: 1 revision imported

en>GrimReaper at 08:07, 11 March 2015