Plant Secondary Metabolism: Terpenoids, Lectins and Glycosides

This is our third lesson on classes of plant secondary metabolites. If you haven’t done so already, check out the lessons on alkaloids and phenolics first. In this lesson, we’ll cover an number of different medically relevant classes of compounds from plants, focusing on terpenoids, lectins, and glycosides.
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In this lesson, we will focus on natural products derived from plants. If you’ve ever gone on a walk with a botanist, you might note that they use different senses – sight, touch, and smell in the identification process. Smell and taste can yield big clues as to the chemical makeup of plants found in certain groups. Plants make compounds known as primary and secondary metabolites. Here, we’ll examine the role of secondary metabolites in chemical ecology, before diving into how these compounds can be leveraged for use in human medicine in later lessons.
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This is a mini-lesson for the Botanical Medicine and Health course developed and taught by Dr. Cassandra Quave at Emory University in the Center for the Study of Human Health. Subscribe to the "Teach Ethnobotany Channel" to access updated educational materials on people, plants and health.
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DISCLAIMER: Content provided in this video and the TeachEthnobotany YouTube Channel is for educational purposes only and should not be construed to be medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. The information about herbal medicines and drugs in this video and the TeachEthnobotany site is general in nature. It does not cover all possible uses, actions, precautions, side effects, or interactions of the medicines mentioned, nor is the information intended as medical advice for individual problems or for making an evaluation as to the risks and benefits of taking a particular drug or botanical/herbal medicine. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition.