Alkaloids found in Erythroxylum

Cocaine is a stimulant of the central nervous system and tropane alkaloid, derived primarily from the leaves of two coca species native to South America: Erythroxylum coca and E. novogranatense. The leaves are processed into cocaine paste, a crude mixture of coca alkaloids, from which cocaine base is isolated and then converted to cocaine hydrochloride. Although total synthesis is possible, it is complex and not used for production. Historically, cocaine was a standard topical medication used as a local anesthetic with intrinsic vasoconstrictor properties. However, its high abuse potential, ad

thumb|alt=Photo of a bottle filled with brown bark, labelled "Catuabae Cortex"|Bottle filled with "Catuaba" bark Catuabines are a group of tropane alkaloids, isolated from Erythroxylum vaccinifolium, which are used in the preparation of the drug Catuaba (which in traditional Brazilian medicine is purported to be an aphrodisiac and central nervous system stimulant, though such claims have not been substantiated). While catuabine A, B and C were isolated and characterized by Graf and Lude (1977, 1978), catuabine D was recently isolated by Zanolari et al. The catuabines are not known to have any