Talk:Conium maculatum

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 3 April 2019 and 7 June 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Huynhat2. Peer reviewers: Byeology.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 19:26, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Should there be a "Poison hemlock" article?

"Poison hemlock" currently redirects to this article. However, the "Hemlock" disambiguation page states there are several poisonous plants in this same Apiaceae family that are referred to as "hemlock." Should there be a separate article which discusses all of these? Frappyjohn (talk) 20:16, 22 November 2014 (UTC)

The question is whether reliable sources use the precise name "poison hemlock" for other species. If so, I suppose there could be a list article like the one at Hemlock. Peter coxhead (talk) 16:28, 25 November 2014 (UTC)

 Not done. No, species of plants commonly known as hemlock contain the coniine biosynthetic pathway that makes them poisonous. Poisonous hemlock properly redirects to hemlock. Encyclopedic entries need not formally follow usage, which changes quickly and capriciously. Redirects cover usage, without needless duplication of articles. Le Prof 73.210.155.96 (talk) 01:18, 24 January 2017 (UTC)

Plagiarised text moved to Talk

The following text content is moved here, as being copied directly from this source, without attribution:

Eight piperidinic alkaloids have been identified in C. maculatum; two of them, gamma-coniceine and coniine, are generally the most abundant, and they account for most of the plant's acute and chronic toxicity. These alkaloids are synthesized by the plant from four acetate units from the metabolic pool, forming a polyketoacid which cyclises through an aminotransferase and forms gamma-coniceine as the parent alkaloid via reduction by a NADPH-dependent reductase.

The text at the source states:

Eight piperidinic alkaloids have been identified in this species. Two of them, gamma-coniceine and coniine are generally the most abundant and they account for most of the plant acute and chronic toxicity. These alkaloids are synthesized by the plant from eight acetate units from the metabolic pool, forming a polyketoacid which cyclises through an aminotransferase and forms gamma-coniceine as the parent alkaloid via reduction by a NADPH-dependent reductase.

It can be returned to the text as a paraphrase, with proper attribution, to replace the earlier clear plagiarism. Le Prof 73.210.155.96 (talk) 01:25, 24 January 2017 (UTC)

PEER REVIEW

It was a bit difficult to tell which part of the article you edited, so this peer review might be somewhat general. Overall, this article had a neutral tone and the information included was relevant. I enjoyed the name and description sections of the article, they were detailed and comprehensive enough to provide a good background of the plant. In the toxicity section, it would be helpful to talk more about the studies involving the intoxication of animals that is mentioned in the first paragraph. This section was also a bit hard to follow in terms of the explanation. Are the alkaloids in the tissues what makes the plant poisonous? How does the poison affect mammals but not bees and butterflies (pollinators)? Do all species in the genus contain the same precursors in the same amount? It may be helpful to reorganize the information in this section to flow more logically. The sources you used are solid. In the toxicology section, it would be great to expand more on the point about how poisoned animals return to feed on the plant. What attracts them to the plant in the first place, and are their brains affected by the poison? The paragraph about historical references is entertaining, but may be a bit outdated. It would be helpful to find a more recent/relevant example of hemlock poisoning to add to this section. Great job, keep up the good work! -Byeology (talk) 20:08, 30 May 2019 (UTC)

Response to peer review

Thank you so much for your comments. They are very contributive and helpful. There are not a lot of articles that discuss this particular topic; therefore, I could not find more relevant sources for this edit. However, I was able to act on one of your suggestions and explain why animals are attracted to poison hemlock and why there are many poisonous cases caused by poison hemlock. Huynhat2 (talk) 21:59, 30 May 2019 (UTC)

Discrepancy between this article and Coniine article

In this article, it states that someone who ingests poison hemlock will (usually) fall unconscious after a certain time has passed, and unconsciousness will deepen into a coma until death occurs from the cessation of breathing. However, in the coniine article, it states that someone who has ingested coniine (presumably in any form) will remain conscious and awake until the lungs become paralysed, because (as the article states) “coniine has no effect on the nervous system.” Is this a contrasting issue, or does poison hemlock have some sleep-inducing property that coniine on its own does not? Androvax (talk) 16:00, 26 July 2021 (UTC)

• The Coniine article contradicts itself. Early in the article it says "its mechanism of poisoning involves disruption of the central nervous system, with death caused by respiratory paralysis." The latter part is unreferenced. UserTwoSix (talk) 16:23, 27 July 2021 (UTC)

Nicotine-like but inhibits acetylcholine?

Sorry, I'm new to proposing something on wiki, but the header says it all. I find it sketchy and would like to see a real review cited on this particular opinion. Nicotine-like substances will mostly stimulate/activate the N-acetylcholine receptors, not block/inhibit them (AFAIK from pharmacology class). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.201.34.176 (talk) 18:32, 22 December 2021 (UTC)