The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7449 p506
28 April 2007

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The lily of the woodlands more
Strontium guide to the migrations of feathered friends more
Dealing with misbehaving children more
Put insects on the menu again more

The lily of the woodlands

Now is the time to seek out the lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis), a humble plant that generally hides itself away and does not seek publicity. The plant is widely adopted as a garden decoration and is rarely encountered in the wild, although it flourishes in north and west Britain in light and open woodlands dominated by ash. It prefers limestone soils, where it can produce extensive carpets of delicate blooms. Its preference for valleys is reflected in its name and its fragrance is reputed to attract the nightingale to the location. In autumn its leaves turn yellow and the fruit appears as bright scarlet berries.

The decline of the lily of the valley in recent years has been attributed to the increased clearance of woodland. Once the celebrated site for the plant was Hampstead Heath, north London, where removal of the tree cover all but eliminated it a century ago.

Convallaria contains more than 20 glycosides, notably convallarin, convallamarin and convallotoxin, all highly toxic to the heart. Saponins and volatile oils act as gastrointestinal irritants and add to the hazard. Nevertheless, convallaria has enjoyed a role among folk remedies as a cardiotonic and diuretic, being popularly regarded as safe to use. Young children have, however, been poisoned by eating the fruit or seeds. A soup madefrom lily of the valley leaves in error for wild garlic has caused flushing, headache and hallucinations.

In folk medicine the whole plant has been collected in flower and dried, or the root and flowers separately. A decoction of the flowers has been drunk for urinary obstructions and a wine made from the flowers has been consumed in Germany. Water distilled from the flowers was once known as “aqua aurea” and was supposed to strengthen the memory as well as stimulating the heart. In Cambridgeshire a poultice of the whole plant treated cuts and abrasions. There is an old superstition that, like other white flowers, the lily of the valley bloom was harmful if used in the home as decoration.

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Strontium guide to the migrations of feathered friends

The problems of avian migration have been more closely studied since the need arose to control the worldwide spread of influenza viruses.

In the past various techniques have been applied to studying bird movements, including marking with leg rings, radio or satellite tagging or counting bird numbers at migratory stopover points. These methods are labour-intensive and often produce data of doubtful usefulness.

Migratory birds regularly renew their feathers before migration, and by noting the isotope signature of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen of feathers dropped by the way their track can be traced. Recently more precise figures have been obtained by measuring strontium isotopes in avian bones, claws and eggshells.

Bone analysis is unduly invasive, while feathers yield low levels of strontium. Nevertheless, strontium isotopes can provide relevant information through a technique developed at the University of Durham involving thermal ionisation mass spectrometry, which can make use of extremely small amounts of material.

By comparing figures obtained in different regions the origins of migrant birds may be determined with considerable accuracy. An extensive study of the movements of the sedge warbler has been carried out, according to the April issue of Chemistry World.

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Dealing with misbehaving children

An editorial in the BMJ of 31 March looks at possible interventions where preschool children show a risk of developing a conduct disorder. The programme concentrates on tackling the problem from the parental viewpoint. A plan was implemented for 12 weeks in 11 areas affected by social disadvantage, and showed a significantly improved effect on antisocial behaviour at a cost of £1,300–£2,000 per child.

Conduct disorder is a major health and social problem, and the most common psychiatric one in childhood. It is diagnosed in children who display persistent severe antisocial conduct such as temper tantrums, verbal and physical aggression, lying, stealing and violating other people’s rights. The disorder usually starts before the age of seven and the greatest damage is done by the delinquent adolescent.

Major determinants are ineffective parenting and poor discipline at home and in school. Management involves the educational and social services and the police. The health service is also involved because of neuropsychological factors, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and increased accident and suicide rates.

It is thought that future research should look at the long-term effect of parenting programmes. The management of child anger should be examined. Medication schemes seem to be of doubtful benefit. Only a quarter of children suffering from conduct disorder at present receive specialist treatment and few practitioners are trained for it. Postgraduate psychology and psychiatry courses have limited training capacity and commercially marketed programmes tend to take a limited approach to the problem.

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Put insects on the menu again

According to a report in New Scientist for 17 March, insects are not to be overlooked among the many sources of food for humans. Indeed, it is estimated that 80 per cent of the world's population consumes one or more of the thousand-odd species of insect available. In parts of Africa cakes made from midges are reckoned as a delicacy. In Mexico more than 200 insect species are part of the diet. Forty insects there are now under threat of extinction and the caterpillars of one butterfly fetch an enormous price on the market.

There is some logic in choosing insects as an item of diet. Some have a higher protein content than meat or fish. As an example the female gypsy moth contains some 80 per cent protein. Moreover, insects are a rich source of essential vitamins and minerals, notably thiamine, iron and zinc. What flavour insects may possess is an important factor. Ants reputedly taste of lemon, giant water bugs taste of mint, and fire ant pupae taste of watermelon.

Since insects have been part of the human diet for thousands of years, it is problematical why the habit should have died out in most of the developed world. An entomologist at the London Natural History Museum believes there is a cultural element, insects being associated with dirt and disease. About a decade ago there was a move to alter this, with the publication of several cookery books including insect components. Indeed, chocolate-coated ants and toasted leafcutter ants have been made available. We may therefore assume that the era of insect eating for the sake of the protein and supplementary food factors is by no means dead.