| Species Name | Common Name (or Plant Type) | Family | Found in | Compound (Chemical Type) |
| Aesculus hippocastanum | Horse chestnut (tree) | Hippocastanaceae (Chestnut /Buckeye Fam.) | N. America, Europe | barringtogenol-C21-angelate (terpenoid), hippocaesculin (terpenoid) |
| Agrostistachys hookeri | n/a | Euphorbiaceae (Spurge Fam.) | India, Malaysia | 14-Dehydroagrostistachin (terpenoid), agroskerin (terpenoid), agrostistachin (terpenoid), 17- hydroxyagrostistachin (terpenoid) |
| Anisomeles indica (A. ovata) | fang feng cao (flowering shrub) | Labiatae (Mint Fam.) | China, India | anisomelic acid (terpenoid), ovatodiolide (terpenoid), 4,7-oxycycloanisomelic acid (terpenoid) |
| Anopterus spp. | (Evergreen shrub) | Escalloniaceae | Tasmania | anopterine, hydroxyanopterine (alkaloids) |
| Apocynum cannabinum | Indian hemp (small shrublike flowering herb) | Apocynaceae (Dogbane Fam.) | all over N. America | cymarin (glycoside) apocymarin (glycoside) |
| Areca catechu | betel nut (tree) | Palmae (Palm Fam.) | SE Asia | NPF- 86I polyphenols |
| Aristolochia tomentosa | wolly dutchman's pipe (climbing herbaceous flowering vine) | Aristolochiaceae | much of Eastern and Central U.S. | aristolochic acid |
| Armoracia rusticana | horseradish (large-rooted herb) | Brassicaceae (Mustard Fam.) | Western Europe, has escaped cultivation in U.S. | unknown glycoside |
| Asarum canadense | wild ginger (creeping perennial) | Aristolochiaceae (Birthwort Fam.) | Eastern and Central U.S. | aristolochic acid |
| Baccharis megapotamica | (flowering herb) | Compositae (Sunflower Fam.) | Brazil | baccharinoids B1, B2, B3 & B7 (terpenoids) |
| Bolbostemma paniculatum | tu bei mu (climbing vine) | Cucurbitaceae (Pumpkin Fam.) | China | tubeimoside (terpenoid) |
| Brucea antidysenterica | (bitter-barked tree) | Simaroubaceae (Quassia Fam.) | Africa | 1,11-dimethoxycanthin-6-one, 1-hydroxy-11-methoxycanthin-6-one, bruceanols A, B & C (terpenoids), bruceantinoside C (terpenoid), yadanzioside N (terpenoid), |
| Brucea javanica | ya dan zi, Kosam seed (bitter-barked tree) | Simaroubaceae (Quassia Fam.) | China | yadanzioside O aglycone (terpenoid), yadanzioside N (terpenoid), yadanzioside P (terpenoid) |
| Bryophyllum pinnatum | luo di shen gen -- "life plant" (succulent herb) | Crassulaceae (Stonecrop Fam.) | China, Taiwan | bryophyllin-A (steroid) |
| Caltha palustris | cowslip, marsh marigold (flowering marsh plant) | Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Fam.) | all over N. America | anemonin protoanemonin |
| Chelidonium majus | celadine poppy (flowering herb) | Papaveraceae (Poppy Fam.) | China | berberine (alkaloid), chelirubine chloride |
| Cicuta maculata | (flowering herb) | Umbelliferae (Carrot Fam.) | N. America | cicutoxin |
| Cocculus trilobus | fang ji (woody climbing plant) | Menispermaceae (Curare Fam.) | tropics worldwide | sinococuline (alkaloid) |
| Combretum caffrum | (tropical tree) | Combretaceae (Combretum Fam.) | S. Africa | combrestatin A-1 and B-1 |
| Cudrania cochinchinensis | chuan po shi (tropical tree) | Moraceae (Fig/Mulberry Fam.) | China, Hong Kong | cudraisoflavone-A |
| Curcuma longa | turmeric, jiang huang (flowering herb) | Zingiberaceae (Ginger Fam.) | worldwide | curcumin |
| Elephantopus carolinianus | elephant's foot (flowering herb) | Compositae (Sunflower Fam.) | N. America | isodeoxyelephantopin (terpenoid) |
| Elephantopus tomentosus | hairy elephant's foot, ku di dan (flowering herb) | Compositae (Sunflower Fam.) | China, N. America | tomenphantopin A and B
(terpenoids) |
| Euptelea polyandra | euptelea (forest tree) | Eupteleaceae (Euptelea Fam.) | Japan | 3-O-acetyloleanolic acid (terpenoid) |
| Fagara macrophylla | fagara (subtropical tree) | Rutaceae (Citrus Fam.) | Ghana | dihydronitidine, nitidine chloride |
| Gelsemium sempervirens | American gelsemium (subtropical tree) | Loganiaceae (Strychnine Fam.) | N. America | 12-beta-hydroxypregna-4,16- diene 3,20-dione (steroid) |
| Ginkgo biloba | ginkgo, maidenhair tree, bai guo (subtropical tree) | Ginkgoaceae (Ginkgo Fam.) | China, Japan (cultured worldwide) | bilobol, ginkgol, ginkgol acid |
| Hedychium coronarium | ginger lily, tu qiang huo (flowering herb) | Zingiberaceae (Ginger Fam.) | S. America, China | coronarins A, B, C & D (terpenoids), |
| Helenium autumnale | sneezeweed (a daisy-like flower) | Asteraceae (Composite Fam.) | thickets and fields across N. America | helenalin (lactone) |
| Heliotropium spp. | heliotropes (flowering herbs) | Boraginaceae (Forget-me-not Fam.) | temperate regions worldwide | indicine, indicine-N-oxide, lasiocarpine |
| Hemerocallis fulva | daylilly | Liliaceae (Lily family) | grown as an ornamental flower in many countries | colchicine |
| Hyptis capita | spikenard (flowering herb) | Labiatae (Mint Fam.) | China | ursolic acid (terpenoid) 2-alpha-hydroxyursolic acid (terpenoid) Hyptatic acid-A (terpenoid) |
| Inotus obliquus | (wood fungus) | Polyporaceae | forests worldwide | inotodiol (steroid) |
| Ipomoea bahiensis | (flowering vine) | Convolvulaceae (Morning Glory Fam.) | tropics | glycoside 1a |
| Iris missouriensis | Missouri Iris (flowering herb) | Iridaceae (Iris Fam.) | North America | iso-iridogermanal
(terpenoid) zeorin (terpenoid) |
| Juniperus virginiana | Eastern red cedar (evergreen tree) | Cupressaceae (Cypress Fam.) | Eastern and Central N. America | podophyllotoxin |
| Justicia spp. | (ornamental flowering herb) | Acanthaceae (Black-Eyed Susan Fam.) | S. America, China | justicidin A & B (aromatics) |
| Larrea tridentata | (desert shrub) | Zygophyllaceae (Lignum Vitae Fam.) | Arizona | larreantin |
| Mallotus japonicus | (tree) | Euphorbiaceae (Spurge Fam.) | Japan | butyrylmallotochromene, isobutyrylmallotochromene, mallotochromanol, mallotolerin |
| Maquira calophylla | (tropical tree) | Moraceae (Fig/Mulberry Fam.) | Peru | maquiroside A (steroid) |
| Marchantia spp. | (liverwort -- primitive plant) | Bryophyta (Liverwort/Moss Fam.) | forests worldwide | marchantin A |
| Maytenus spp. | (tropical tree) | Celastraceae (Spindle Tree Fam.) | Taiwan | maytansine
(alkaloid), maytenfoliol (terpenoid) |
| Pancratium littorale | (flowering herb) | Amaryllidaceae (Daffodil Fam.) | Hawaii | lycoricidine, margetine, pancratistatin (alkaloids) |
| Paramichelia baillonii | (tropical tree) | Magnoliaceae (Magnolia Fam.) | Thailand | bisparthenolidine, liriodenine, oxoushinsunine (alkaloids) |
| Pararistolochia flos-avis | (tropical vine) | Aristolochiaceae (Asarum Fam.) | Ghana | aristolactam-AII |
| Periploca sepium | silk vine, xiang jia pi (climbing herb) | Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed Fam.) | China | periplocoside A |
| Pergularia tomentosa | (flowering herb) | Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed Fam.) | Saudi Arabia | ghalakinoside (steroid) |
| Poria cocos | (wood fungus) | Polyporaceae | China | Methyl
deyhydrotumulosate, methyl tumulosate (steroids) |
| Prunella vulgaris | heal-all (low flowering perennial) | Labiatae (Mint Fam.) | native to Europe and West Asia, has escaped cult. in U.S. | ursolic acid |
| Psorospermum febrifugum | (tropical tree) | Guttiferae (Mammey Apple Fam.) | Tanzania | acetylvismiones D &
F, deoxypsorospermin, deoxy-4'-chlorosporospermin, deoxysporospermin-3',4'-diol, vismiones C & F |
| Psychotria forsteriana | Forster's psychotria (tropical shrub) | Rubiaceae (Coffee Fam.) | Vanatu, New Hebrides | alkaloid B, C, D and E |
| Psychotria rubra | red psychotria, shan da dao (tropical shrub) | Rubiaceae (Coffee Fam.) | China, Taiwan | psychorubin |
| Rhabdosia effusa | (flowering herb) | Labiatae (Mint Fam.) | effusantin A (terpenoid) | |
| Rhabdosia excisa | (flowering herb) | Labiatae (Mint Fam.) | China | excisanin A, B (terpenoid) |
| Rhabdosia longikaurin | (flowering herb) | Labiatae (Mint Fam.) | Japan | longikaurin B (terpenoid) |
| Rhabdosia sculponeata | (flowering herb) | Labiatae (Mint Fam.) | China | sculponeatin C (terpenoid) |
| Rhabdosia umbrosa | (flowering herb) | Labiatae (Mint Fam.) | Japan | kamebanin (terpenoid) kamebakaurin (terpenoid) leukamenins A & B (terpenoid) umbrosin A (terpenoid) |
| Ricinus communis | castor oil, bi ma zi (flowering herb) | Euphorbiaceae (Spurge Fam.) | N. America, Europe, China | ricin A |
| Sanguinaria canadensis | bloodroot (flowering herb) | Papaveraceae (Poppy Fam.) | woodlands throughout the Eastern and Central U.S. | sanguinarine (alkaloid) |
| Schisandra propinqua | (woody climbing plant) | Schisandraceae (Schisandra Fam.) | China & SE Asia | manwuweizic acid (steroid) |
| Simaba multiflora | (bitter barked tree) | Simaroubaceae (Quassia Fam.) | French Guiana | 13,18-dehydro-6-alpha senecioyloxychaparrin (terpenoid) |
| Solanum dulcamara | bittersweet woody nightshade (woody climbing vine) | Solanaceae (Nightshade Fam.) | Europe and N. America | unknown alkaloid |
| Spathelia sorbifolia | (tropical shrub) | Rutaceae (Citrus Fam.) | Jamaica | methylsorbifolin, spatheliachromen |
| Stizophyllum riparium | (twining tree) | Bignoniaceae (Catalpa Fam.) | Peru | stizophyllin (steroid) |
| Strebulus asper | (tropical shrub) | Moraceae (Fig/Mulberry Fam.) | Thailand | mansonin (steroid), strebloside (steroid) |
| Strychnos usambarensis | (tropical shrub) | Loganiaceae (Strychnine Fam.) | Central Africa | akagerine, dihydrousambarensine, hydroxyusambarine, strychnopentamine, strychnophylline, usambarine, usambarensine (alkaloids) |
| Taxus mairei | yew (Evergreen shrub) | Taxaceae (Yew Fam.) | China | taxamairins A & B (terpenoids), |
| Thalictrum sessile | meadow-rue (flowering herb) | Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Fam.) | China, Taiwan | berberine, liriodenine, oxoushinsunine, thalicarpine (alkaloids) |
| Tripterygium regelii | yellow vine (subtropical climbing plant) | Celastraceae (Spindle Tree Fam.) | China | regelin (terpenoid), regelinol (terpenoid), triptolide (alkaloid) |
| Vismia spp. | (tropical tree) | Guttiferae (Mammey Apple Fam.) | Venezuela | acetylvismione B, desacetylvismione A, vismione A & B, |
| Wikstroemia elliptica | (tropical shrub) | Thymelaeaceae (Daphne Fam.) | Hawaii | daphnoretin (flavan), lariciresinol (aromatic), methoxylariciresinol (aromatic), syringaresinol (aromatic), umbelliferone (quinone) |
| Wisteria brachybotrys | wisteria (viney herb) | Leguminosae (Acacia/Pea Fam.) | Japan | afromosin (flavan) |
| Yucca glauca | soapweed yucca (blue-green perennial w/ stiff, swordlike leaves) | Liliaceae (Lily Fam.) | Western U.S. and Mexico | water extracts have antitumor activity against B16 melanoma in mice |
References:
Duke, James A., and Edward S. Ayensu. 1985. Medicinal Plants of China. Algonac, MI, Reference Publications, Inc.
Duke, James A., and Steven Foster. 1990. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. New York, NY, Houghton Mifflin Co.
Heywood, V.H., ed. 1993. Flowering Plants of the World. New York, NY, Oxford University Press.
Pettit, George R., Fiona Hogan Pierson, and Cherry L. Herald. 1994. Anticancer Drugs From Animals, Plants and Microorganisms. New York, NY, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
This page was last updated 5/30/97.