ABSTRACT
There can be no doubt that a plant that has been in partnership with humans since the beginnings of agricultural efforts, that has served humans in so many ways, and that, under the searchlight of modern chemical study, has yielded many new and interesting compounds, will continue to be a part of our economy. It would be a luxury we could ill afford if we allowed uninformed prejudice to deter scientists from learning as much as possible about this ancient and mysterious plant (Alger, 2002; Baker et al., 2003; Stella, 2004).
