Narcissus and other Amaryllidaceae as sources of galanthamine

The Amaryllidaceae family contains 65 genera and over 860 species. Amaryllidaceae species are widely distributed in the tropical, sub-tropical and temperate zones of both hemispheres, and a vast diversity of species is characteristic of the flora of the South African Cape region, South and Central America and the Mediterranean coasts. They possess highly decorative characteristics, and have been used from ancient times in floriculture and medicine (Artyushenko, 1970; Khamidkhodzhaev, 1984).