Epibatidine is a chemical that comes from a poisonous frog, Epipedobates tricolor, found in modern Ecuador. Native Americans dipped their arrowheads into Epibatidine, which is now being used by pharmaceutical companies to create a painkiller 200 times as powerful as morphine but without the addictive qualities.

Interestingly, the compound is not an opioid; instead, it is similar to nicotine and appears to act by binding and activating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. While epibatidine may be too toxic to use in clinical practice, the compound represents a new lead in the drug design of new analgesics.

External links

• Epibatidine - A review by Matthew J. Dowd

Alkaloids | Analgesics