Editing Galanthus (section)

== Medicinal use ==

In 1983, Andreas Plaitakis and Roger Duvoisin suggested that the mysterious magical herb, [[Moly (herb)|moly]], that appears in [[Homer]]'s ''[[Odyssey]]'' is the snowdrop. One of the active principles present in the snowdrop is the [[alkaloid]] [[galantamine]], which, as an [[acetylcholinesterase inhibitor]], could have acted as an antidote to [[Circe]]'s poisons.{{sfn|Plaitakis|Duvoisin|1983}} Further supporting this notion are notes made during the fourth century BC by the Greek scholar [[Theophrastus]] who wrote in ''[[Historia plantarum]]'' that moly was "used as an antidote against poisons" although which specific poisons it was effective against remains unclear.{{sfn|Kaplan|2015|p=36}} Galantamine (or galanthamine) may be helpful in the treatment of [[Alzheimer's disease]], although it is not a cure;{{sfn|Loy|Schneider|2006}} the substance also occurs naturally in [[daffodil]]s and other [[Narcissus (genus)|narcissi]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/publications/nnfcc-project-factsheet-sustainable-production-of-the-natural-product-galanthamine-defra-nf0612|title=NNFCC Project Factsheet: Sustainable Production of the Natural Product Galanthamine (Defra), NF0612}}</ref>