Compound Monograph
Cryogenine
Cryogenine (vertine) is a quinolizidine-type alkaloid from sinicuichi, a Mexican plant with a tradition of psychoactive use.
Classification
Cryogenine is a biphenylquinolizidine lactone alkaloid, part of the alkaloids class. Nitrogen-containing, often bitter and physiologically potent compounds — the group behind many of the strongest plant medicines and poisons.
Where Does It Come From? (1)
Cryogenine is a naturally occurring biphenylquinolizidine lactone alkaloid, found in Sinicuichi. It is flagged as moderately toxic.
Research & Evidence
Cryogenine, also called vertine, is regarded as the principal alkaloid of sinicuichi (Heimia salicifolia), a shrub of the loosestrife family used traditionally in Mexico to prepare a mildly psychoactive drink. It belongs to the biphenylquinolizidine lactone alkaloids characteristic of the genus Heimia. Older pharmacological literature attributed various effects to the plant, but firm, modern human data on isolated cryogenine are limited.
Toxicity & Safety
Reliable human safety information for isolated cryogenine is sparse, and most accounts concern the whole plant rather than the purified alkaloid. It should not be assumed to be free of risk, and its pharmacology is not well characterised by contemporary standards.