Bulbocapnine is an alkaloid

Alkaloid

Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...

 found in Corydalis

Corydalis

Corydalis is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the fumewort family , native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical eastern Africa...

and Dicentra

Dicentra

Dicentra is a genus of 8 species of perennial herbaceous plants in the fumitory family, many with heart-shaped flowers, native to eastern Asia and North America.-Description:...

, herbs in the family Fumariaceae

Fumariaceae

Fumariaceae is a family of about 575 species of herbaceous plants in 20 genera, native to the Northern Hemisphere and South Africa.-Flower shape:Plants in the fumitory family are easily recognised by their peculiar flowers with two dissimilar pairs of...

 that can cause fatal poisoning in sheep and cattle

Cattle

Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

. It has been shown to act as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor

An acetylcholinesterase inhibitor or anti-cholinesterase is a chemical that inhibits the cholinesterase enzyme from breaking down acetylcholine, increasing both the level and duration of action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.- Uses :Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors:* Occur naturally as...

, and inhibits biosynthesis of dopamine

Dopamine

Dopamine is a catecholamine neurotransmitter present in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this substituted phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five known types of dopamine receptors—D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5—and their...

 via inhibition of the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase

Tyrosine hydroxylase

Tyrosine hydroxylase or tyrosine 3-monooxygenase is the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the conversion of the amino acid L-tyrosine to dihydroxyphenylalanine . It does so using tetrahydrobiopterin as a coenzyme. DOPA is a precursor for dopamine, which, in turn, is a precursor for norepinephrine ...

.

According to the Dorlands Medical Dictionary, it "inhibits the reflex and motor activities of striated muscle. It has been used in the treatment of muscular tremors and vestibular nystagmus". The psychiatrist Robert Heath

Robert Galbraith Heath

Dr. Robert Galbraith Heath was an American psychiatrist. He followed the theory of biological psychiatry that organic defects were the sole source of mental illness, and that consequently mental problems were treatable by physical means.Heath founded the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at...

 carried out experiments on prisoners at the Louisiana State Penitentiary

Louisiana State Penitentiary

The Louisiana State Penitentiary is a prison farm in Louisiana operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. It is the largest maximum security prison in the United States with 5,000 offenders and 1,800 staff...

 using bulbocapnine to induce stupor

Stupor

Stupor is the lack of critical cognitive function and level of consciousness wherein a sufferer is almost entirely unresponsive and only responds to base stimuli such as pain. This is often mistaken for delirium and treated with Haldol and or other anti-psychotic drugs...

..

The author William S. Burroughs

William S. Burroughs

William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...

 references the drug in his book Naked Lunch

Naked Lunch

Naked Lunch is a novel by William S. Burroughs originally published in 1959. The book is structured as a series of loosely-connected vignettes. Burroughs stated that the chapters are intended to be read in any order...

, in which the fictional Dr. Benway uses it to induce obedience in torture victims.

See also

• Apomorphine
  Apomorphine
  Apomorphine is a non-selective dopamine agonist which activates both D1-like and D2-like receptors, with some preference for the latter subtypes. It is historically a morphine decomposition product by boiling with concentrated acid, hence the -morphine suffix...
  
  
• Glaucine
  Glaucine
  Glaucine is an alkaloid found in several different plant species such as Glaucium flavum, Glaucium oxylobum, Croton lechleri and Corydalis yanhusuo. It has bronchodilator and antiinflammatory effects, acting as a PDE4 inhibitor and calcium channel blocker, and is used medically as an antitussive in...
  
  
• Nantenine
  Nantenine
  Nantenine is an alkaloid found in the plant Nandina domestica as well as some Corydalis species. It is an antagonist at both the α1 adrenergic receptor and the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor, and blocks both the behavioural and physiological effects of MDMA in animals.-See...
  
  
• Nuciferine
  Nuciferine
  Nuciferine is an alkaloid found within the plants Nymphaea caerulea and Nelumbo nucifera. It has a profile of action associated with dopamine receptor blockade. It induces catalepsy, it inhibits spontaneous motor activity, conditioned avoidance response, amphetamine toxicity and stereotypy...
  
  
• Pukateine
  Pukateine
  Pukateine is an alkaloid found in the bark of the New Zealand tree Laurelia novae-zelandiae . An extract from pukatea is used in traditional Māori herbal medicine as an analgesic, and it is thought pukateine is the active component, as it is similar in both structure and activity to alkaloids such...
  
  
• Stepholidine
  Stepholidine
  -Stepholidine is a naturally occurring chemical compound found in the herb Stephania intermedia. Stepholidine is a dual D2 receptor antagonist and D1 receptor agonist, and has shown antipsychotic activity in animal studies.-See also:*Apomorphine...
  
  
• Tetrahydropalmatine
  Tetrahydropalmatine
  Tetrahydropalmatine is an alkaloid found in several different plant species, mainly in the Corydalis family, but also in other plants such as Stephania rotunda. These plants have traditional uses in Chinese herbal medicine...