Compound Monograph
Narcotine (Noscapine)
Narcotine, better known as noscapine, is a non-narcotic opium alkaloid used as a cough suppressant.
Sources · 1
Where Does It Come From?
Narcotine (Noscapine) is a naturally occurring benzylisoquinoline (phthalideisoquinoline) alkaloid, found in Opium poppy. It is flagged as moderately toxic.
Concentration
Content by Source
Concentrations not reported. No percent-dry-weight or mg/g figures have been published for this compound in its source plants.
Research & Evidence
Narcotine, now usually called noscapine, is a phthalideisoquinoline alkaloid of the opium poppy. Unlike the morphinan alkaloids that share the poppy, it has essentially no opioid (analgesic or euphoric) activity and is not addictive; instead it has long been used as a cough suppressant (antitussive). It is also a tubulin-binding agent, and this property has prompted laboratory and exploratory clinical interest in its potential anticancer activity.
Toxicity & Safety
Noscapine has a long record of use as a cough medicine and is generally well tolerated at antitussive doses. It can interact with anticoagulants such as warfarin, increasing their effect, and high doses may cause nausea, drowsiness or other side effects. It is not an opioid and does not carry the dependence risk of the morphinan poppy alkaloids.
