Painkillers from Plants What are pain killers? Painkillers are compounds or drugs which block the perception of pain either by binding to specific receptors. Different painkillers bind to different types of receptors to give similar results. In case of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), it binds to the site where COX (cyclo-oxygenase) inhibitor binds thus stopping the production of this enzyme. COX enzyme is responsible for production of prostaglandins which in-turn are involved in the perception of pain and inflammation. Opioids are another type of painkillers which work by binding to opioid receptors present in the central nervous system. Due to this the perception of pain is reduced. The exact mechanism of aspirin is not clear yet. Pain killers from plants: Different plants produce different compounds which can act as painkillers for humans. These compounds are usually secondary metabolites which the plant does not use in daily metabolism processes, ...
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