May apple

30-50cm high poisonous plant from the Berberidaceae family (barberry family), native mainly to North America, with upright stems on which are arranged in pairs, light green, lobed leaves with a diameter of up to 30 cm (see picture). The plant produces white flowers.

Podophyllum peltatum is the parent plant of Rhizoma Podophyllii (off. DAC86) an extract obtained from the rootstock of the plant. Ingredients are the lignans podophyllotoxin and alpha - and beta-peltatins.

Podophylline is obtained from Rhizoma Podophyllii by treating the extract with highly diluted hydrochloric acid. This is a highly toxic mixture of substances which is used in ethanolic solution for the treatment of condylomata acuminata.

Partially synthetic podophyllotoxin derivatives are the topoisomerase II inhibitors

• Etoposide and
• Teniposide

which are used as systemic (non-selective cytotoxic) cytostatic drugs.