Tantargy

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2024-2025

Topic

The course aims at introducing the most important Hungarian and foreign plant species that are edible and/or used for medical purposes, or may cause intoxications. The course will focus on the detailed characterization of plant species, as well as on various ways of their application, the typical symptoms of poisoning and the chemical compounds that are responsible for the above effects.

Lectures

• 1.

  Harmless plants, plants with mild/strong physiological effect, poisonous plants.

  - Farkas Ágnes
• 2.

  Food plants, medicinal plants, spices.

  - Farkas Ágnes
• 3.

  Classification of toxic herbal compounds, symptoms of intoxication.

  - Purger Dragica
• 4.

  First aid in case of intoxication with poisonous plants.

  - Purger Dragica
• 5.

  Poisonous plants containing organic acids.

  - Purger Dragica
• 6.

  Poisonous plants containing phenolic substances.

  - Purger Dragica
• 7.

  Poisonous plants containing polyacetylenes.

  - Purger Dragica
• 8.

  Poisonous plants containing mono- and sesquiterpenes.

  - Purger Dragica
• 9.

  Poisonous plants containing di- and triterpenes.

  - Purger Dragica
• 10.

  Steroid saponins and cardiac glycosides.

  - Purger Dragica
• 11.

  Poisonous plants containing amino acids, lectins and cyanogenic compounds.

  - Purger Dragica
• 12.

  Poisonous plants containing amino acids, lectins and cyanogenic compounds.

  - Purger Dragica
• 13.

  Alkaloid containing poisonous plants.

  - Purger Dragica
• 14.

  Alkaloid containing poisonous plants.

  - Purger Dragica
• 15.

  1^st written midterm test

  - Purger Dragica
• 16.

  1^st written midterm test

  - Purger Dragica
• 17.

  Edible plants I.: algae, pteridophytes, gymnosperms.

  - Purger Dragica
• 18.

  Edible plants I.: algae, pteridophytes, gymnosperms.

  - Purger Dragica
• 19.

  Edible plants II.: below-ground storage organs (root, tuber, rhizome).

  - Purger Dragica
• 20.

  Edible plants III.: stem and leaf vegetables.

  - Purger Dragica
• 21.

  Plants with edible fruits

  - Purger Dragica
• 22.

  Plants with edible fruits

  - Purger Dragica
• 23.

  2^nd written test

  - Purger Dragica
• 24.

  2^nd written test

  - Purger Dragica

Practices

Seminars

Reading material

Obligatory literature

Recommended books:

Foster S., Caras R.A.: A Field Guide to Venomous Animals and Poisonous Plants. Peterson Field Guides, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston ? New York, 1994

James W.R.: Know Your Poisonous Plants, Mosaic Press, Happy Camp, CA, USA, 2005

Lyle K.L.: The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits and Nuts, The Lyons Press, Guilford, Connecticut, 2004

Nelson L.S., Shih R.D., Balick M.J.: Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants, 2nd edition, The New York Botanical Garden. Springer, 2007

Peterson L.A.: A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants. Peterson Field Guides, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston ? New York, 1977

Recommended journal papers:

Fuchs J., Rauber-Luthy C., Kupferschmidt H. et al.: Acute Plant Poisoning: Analysis of Clinical Features and Circumstances of Exposure. Clinical Toxicology, 2011, 49: 671-680.

Krenzelok E.P., Mrvos R.: Friends and Foes in the Plant World: a Profile of Plant Ingestions and Fatalities. Cl, 2011

Literature developed by the Department

Notes

Recommended literature

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

Active participation in classes is required.
Students must complete 2 midterm tests, with a result of minimum 60%.

Mid-term exams

2 written midterm tests.

Making up for missed classes

Based on personal arrangement.

Exam topics/questions

1. Harmless plants, plants with mild/strong physiological effect, poisonous plants. Food plants, medicinal plants, spices.

2. Classification of toxic plant compounds.

3. Symptoms caused by intoxications of plant origin.

4. First aid in the case of plant poisonings.

5. Poisonous plants containing organic acids and their derivatives.

6. Poisonous plants containing phenolic compounds: alkylphenol-derivatives, benzoquinone-derivatives.

7. Poisonous plants containing coumarin.

8. Poisonous plants containing anthraquinones.

9. Poisonous plants containing naphthodianthrones.

10. Poisonous plants containing polyacetylenes.

11. Poisonous plants containing mono- and sesquiterpenes.

12. Poisonous plants containing diterpenes.

13. Poisonous plants containing triterpene saponins.

14. Poisonous plants containing steroid saponins.

15. Poisonous plants containing steroid cardiac glycosides.

16. Poisonous plants containing amino acids, proteins and lectins.

17. Poisonous plants containing cyanogenic compounds.

18. Poisonous plants containing tropane alkaloids.

19. Poisonous plants containing pyridine/piperidine alkaloids

20. Poisonous plants containing isoquinoline alkaloids.

21. Poisonous plants containing quinolizidine alkaloids.

22. Poisonous plants containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

23. Poisonous plants containing terpene alkaloids.

24. Poisonous plants containing steroid alkaloids.

25. Edible algae and pteridophytes.

26. Edible gymnosperms.

27. Plants with edible roots.

28. Plants with edible tubers and rhizomes.

29. Plants with edible shoots.

30. Plants with edible leaves.

31. Plants with edible fruits.

Examiners

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars