Molecules of Witchcraft

Molecules of Witchcraft

 

Various alkaloids and substances were known by witches and public scrutiny was very common towards witches; fingers were pointed mainly at women, however not every witch was malignant. There were witches that were knowledgeable of certain herbs and alkaloids that could cure and suppress various symptoms and diseases. Many witches were put to death before and after the year 1350 A.D. because witchcraft was perceived as a practice of sorcery. By the fourteenth century, a new attitude has been adopted toward witchcraft by the Church and by Christianity. However, it was believed that many witches were entering a pact with the Devil and many of them were still being put to death. A misunderstanding of the lifestyle of witches has been prevalent during the Medieval Times and many periods in history, eventually leading to the torture and execution of witches by evidence during the mid-fifteenth century. The various acts attributed to witches such as eating babies, having sex with demons, and flying on broomsticks were myths and were used to increase accusation of witches for their ways; prejudice and discrimination has been very common in the past and many types of people have suffered for their differences as a result of biases, stereotypes, and alienation. Entire villages in German and Swiss villages have been burned and destroyed as a result of a belief that a majority of the inhabitants of those areas were witches. Across Europe, a large amount of witches have been executed and the ideology/paranoia has swept throughout the entire continent for many years until a social movement arisen. Many witches actually were able to use certain herbs to relieve pain, cure diseases, and to remove hexes, however the prejudice amongst society towards witches have outcompeted the fact that a majority of witches were not malignant, but were talented, were different, were knowledgeable of various healing and therapeutic substances and alkaloids, and possessed divergent abilities. Certain herbs that contained salicylic acid were very common and digitalis, an extract from the Digitalis purpea, contains the alkaloid digoxin, which is known as a cardiac glycoside, which poses cardiovascular activity in the body. Digoxin strengthens the heart beat, reduces the heart rate, treats electric abnormalities of the heart, and restores a regularized cardiac cycle. There are other alkaloids present that affect the heart, yet they cannot be used as cardio stimulants because they pose a cardiovascular toxicity such as bufotoxin. The European toad, bufo bulgaris, releases one of the most toxic substances. There is a group of molecules and substances known as alkaloids, which could be isolated from various plant sources and have a physiological activity in the body; many drugs such as morphine and cocaine are alkaloids because they pose a physiological effect in the body, such as an increase in neurotransmission. Alkaloids are organic compounds that contain nitrogen atoms. Various derivatives of alkaloids are synthesized to relieve pain (codeine), to act as an antimalerial agent (chloroquine), and to act as an anesthetic (benzocaine) and for other pharmaceutical purposes. Plants cannot practice self-defense in physical means, so it contains alkaloids which are natural pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides. An alkaloid called scopolamine has been used as an anesthetic and atropine has been used as an antidote for even more toxic substances than atropine itself. Various alkaloids could induce hallucinations, euphoria, interfere with regular and normal brain function, interfere with neurotransmission and heart rate, and induce changes in perception, consciousness, and awareness of the external environment. Many alkaloids such as piperine in peppers and nicotine in tobacco gained immediate acceptance to be applied in society and other alkaloids such as Datura in the thorn apple are deliriants and euphoriants, however many adverse effects could be experienced following the ingestion of these types of alkaloids. The species, Etythroxylon, the coca tree, contains an alkaloid called cocaine. Coca leaves have been used in Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador for their stimulating effects of hundreds of years. During the 1880s, cocaine has been isolated in a laboratory and it has been assumed that therapeutic effects would be evident in certain patients, while the complete opposite has occurred in a majority of people who have ingested the drug. Sigmund Freud prescribed cocaine for its stimulating properties and to treat morphine additions. However, abuse of cocaine could lead to various health problems and depression. Various compounds such as novocaine, benzocaine, and lidociane have been synthesized as local anesthetics to block sodium channels; however they do not affect the central nervous system and disrupt the hearth rhythm. Certain alkaloids called the ergot alkaloids were used for their hallucinogenic properties. The alkaloids are present in the ergot fungus and could be isolated. Symptoms of ergotism or an overdose are convulsions, hallucinations, manic behavior, a crawling sensation under the skin, vomiting, lethargy, and diarrhea. Ergot alkaloids are toxic, yet their derivatives could be used for their therapeutic effects and their effects on mental attitude and perception. The alkaloids present in the ergot fungus are all derivatives of lysergic acid, which has been investigated by Albert Hoffman. Albert Hoffman, a chemist working as research laboratories in Swiss pharmaceutical companies, has synthesized the twenty-fifth derivative of lysergic acid or LSD-25 (lysergic acid diethylamide) in 1938. Hoffman, to test his discovery, has ingested orally a sample of LSD and experienced a variety of effects such as hallucinations, dizziness, paranoia, out-of-body experiences, and possible brain damage. During the 1960s, the drug LSD became increasingly popular amongst youth and has been used to treat alcoholic schizophrenia. Symptoms of psychosis could be evident in certain people. The pharmaceutical industry has been influenced by the work of witches and the isolation of various alkaloids from different plant species, and the chemical and molecular structure of alkaloids became much more known after many discoveries on the presence alkaloids and their derivation has occurred. Therefore, alkaloids have different properties and physiological activity in the body; the toxins should be avoided and the other alkaloids such as LSD should be studied meticulously and should be used only for therapeutic purposes to decrease the chances and possibilities of experiencing negative and adverse effects from a potentially-beneficial molecule.