Table 1. Examples of alkaloids with medicinal application ^a .

Alkaloid (active ingredient)	Natural source1d	Therapeutic use
	Atropa belladonna; industrially isolated from Duboisia species, Hyoscyamus muticus and Hyoscyamus niger	antispasmodic; treatment of organo-phosphate poisoning; against myasthenia gravis; against arrhythmias; local treatment for muscular rheumatism, sciatica and neuralgia; in ophthalmology as mydriatic and cycloplegic drug1d
	Caffea arabica, Paullinia cupana, Cola nitita and Cola acuminata	added to analgesics to increase their activity; used in the treatment of neonatal apnoea and atopic dermatitis1d
	Papaver somniferum	as antitussive in treatment of cough; as analgesic and mild sedative1d
	Galanthus caucasicus, Galanthus woronowii and Galanthus nivalis	in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease24
	Papaver somniferum	pain control; treatment of diarrhoea1d
	Taxus brevifolia; produced industrially by Taxus plant cell fermentation	in treatment of mamma and ovary carcinoma and several other malignancies1d
	Pilocarpus jaborandi, Pilocarpus pennatifolius, Pilocarpus racemosus and Pilocarpus microphyllus	in treatment of open-angle glaucoma1d
	Cinchona succirubra	in treatment of malaria, babesiosis and myotonic disorders1d
	Duboisia myoporoides, Duboisia leichhardtii	against acute motion sickness; as premedicant before induction of general anaesthesia1d
	Catharanthus roseus	in treatment of Hodgkin's disease and other lymphoma, testicular cancer and a variety of solid neoplasms1d,5a

^aApart from galantamine, all listed substances are part of the World Health Organization's Model List of Essential Medicines (17th ed., for adults).²⁵