Ethnopharmacologic and phytochemical studies of the Thymelaeaceae

The ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology and phytochemistry of the Thymelaeaceae are reviewed. Some members of this family find wide use commercially whilst others are used as deadly poisons or possess extreme irritant properties. The phytochemical evidence thus far available indicates that the daphnane and tigliane diterpene esters are clearly responsible for the toxic reactions observed, but chemotaxonomically it is not possible to predict which additional genera are likely to contain these toxins. Caution should therefore be exercised when studying members of this plant family.