SOURCES OF MEDICINAL PLANTS

Wild lupine
Lupinus perennis L
FAMILY: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)

DISTRIBUTION:
Wild lupine is found in a diversity of habitats ranging from dry open woods and clearings to moist sandy soil.

DESCRIPTION:
Wild lupine is an erect, perennial shrub: 2-6 dm tall, thinly pubescent; leaves: palmately lobed; lower leaves: 5 cm long, 7-11 leaflets; petioles: 2-6 cm; racemes: erect, 1-2dm, numerous, blue varying to pink or white flowers; flowers: 2-lipped; calyx: the upper lip. 4 mm, 2-toothed; the lower entire, 8 mm; corolla: standard, 12-16 mm, half as wide; wings united toward the summit; stamens: 10, monadelphous; filaments forming a closed tube for half their length; pod: pubescent, 3-5 cm long, oblong, flattened

TOXIC PARTS:
The foliage and seeds are considered poisonous. The vast literature on toxicity of Lupinus spp. mainly involves western taxa, e.g rangeland species. Toxicity may vary among species, produce different symptoms in various classes of livestock, and fluctuate according to season and habitat.

TOXICITY:
The reactions to ingestion are paradoxical. Some animals show depression, others excitation. Respiratory problems generally develop with labored breathing, coma or convulsions, and death.

TOXIC PRINCIPLES:
The majority of the more than 20 alkaloids isolated from Lupinus are quinolizidine alkaloids with some piperidine and other components known Lupanine and lupinine are well-studied compounds from Lupinu;, spateine appears less well characterized. In Europe, the disease called lupinosis is attributable to mycotoxins produced by the fungus Phomopsis leptostomiformis, which grows on Lupinus species.

N.B. Because alkaloids remain toxic in dried plants, contaminated hay also is poisonous. Alkaloids are generally more concentrated in plants after flowering, perhaps due to higher concentrations in the seeds..

TREATMENT: as in case of Lolium