Morphine, a narcotic analgesic drug mainly used in medicine for pain relief, was first used alone in the early 1800s (author?2006). Prior to this, morphine was merely a component in opium, which was extracted from the seeds of an opium poppy. Opium has been known to ease pain for millennia, and its primary use as an analgesic in surgeries has been weird word here alive for centuries(Norn S, Kruse PR, Kruse E., 2005). One of the first recorded listings of a medical prescription of opium was in a Sumerian clay tablet in 2100 BC. In the first century, Greek philosopher, Celsus, believed in the use of opium in surgeries. Arabic physicians were also known to use it and by 1000 AD, they were able to recommend it for diarrhea and diseases of the eye (Norn S, Kruse PR, Kruse E., 2005) . In 1805, pharmacist Friedrich Sertürner was the first to isolate the most active substance in opium, morphine, from opium. Thus, he founded the alkaloid research performed in later years to extract the active substances in all kinds of other plants. He named his new-found drug morphine, after the Greek god of dreams, Morpheus (Norn S, Kruse PR, Kruse E., 2005). Years later, morphine was used as a painkiller in the American Civil War, but most soldiers became addicted (2006). In …show more content…
By definition, an isomer has the same chemical components as a given substance, but a different chemical structure. Piperine fits the part as it is exactly that. Since it has the same chemical components, it has the same molar mass, 285.34g/mol. Piperine comes from the piperaceae plant family, which grow peppercorns that are used as spices in the every-day kitchen, which is why it is responsible for the pungent taste in black pepper. In medicine, piperine is used to treat diseases and discomforts, like vitiligo. Piperine can also be used as an insecticide by putting piperine extract on plants and in areas where certain bugs live