pcplantdb

[Richard Morris <webmaster@pfaf.org>]

Chad Knepp wrote:
> RichM
>  > Hum, not sure if we want thing to look like a threaded discussion.
>  > This will give it a very different feel to a more wiki-style approach.
>  > 
>  > Danger with discussion is that things could get long and rambleing.
>  > I perfer an environent which encourages things are a bit more focused.
>  > 
>  > I think we'll need some discusion about this.
>  > Not to worry for now. Its still very dev at moment and the 
>  > infrastructure is good.
>
> Well, I was thinking that moderation would straighten a lot of the
> ramble.  Moderation could even override threading, so the highest
> comment in a thread could reparent the original... or something.  I
> agree that threading has some issues, but the absence of threading
> *really* has issues when you start to deal with hundreds of comments
> on a page.  Of course user/authors could ignore threading if they wish
> and just attach a comment to the plant directly.  I see threading as
> being sort of the section topic (Uses, Propagation, etc.) in this
> case.  I think the thing that will save us from many comments of mixed
> quality is moderation, whether they are threaded or not.
Yep, I'd be happy to go with a thread per section.

Maybe we could have a talk thread. This would be the default thread
so most comments would go here. Users could select a more specific 
thread (eg Edible Uses) if they wish.

One thing I get a LOT of is people asking where they can get plants
so it would be good to have a thread along that line.

>  > >  > One thing I'd be very keen to see is mixing in the tanplant data.
>  > >  > I know the guy who submitted it would be keen to see his data live on 
>  > >  > the web. Its also technically chalanging in how we can mix the two data 
>  > >  > sets. This seems to fit well with the comment idea. Think of this as
>  > >  > another large batch of comments. (It would be OK to miss out some 
> fields
>  > >  > if clashes emerge).
>  > > 
>  > > Well, I was hoping that when authorship features where implemented,
>  > > that someone [else] would add the data.  Having the server seperated
>  > > from the client would allow xml-rpc custom clients to add datasets
>  > > such as this.
>  > 
>  > I'm happy to add this. But I'd need some instruction on how to do it.
>  > Its probably easiest if I do it in SQL as its a lot of data to add.
>
> Well, it could also be done with custom clients (xml-rpc) and would
> probably be even easier than direct SQL.... that's my hope anyway for
> xml-rpc clients.

Eak, whats involeved with that (knowing nothing of the details of 
xml-rpc). Will it take work at your end to allow this to happen?

>  > Two problems spring to mind.
>  > 1) Latin names may be different. So I'd need to get hold
>  >   of synoyms to find appropriate matches.
>
> This is not really hard to do.  I did this with the USDA plants
> database at one point and found around 600 matches of botanical names
> and synonyms (synonyms is a seperate table).  It's about a paragraph
> of SQL though.
>
>  > 2) Scheme difference. There some fields in tanplants
>  > which don't fit with pfaf namely
>  > 
>  > STEM - Stem description
>  > LVS - Leaf description
>  > INFL - Inflorescense description
>  > FRUIT - Fruit description
>  > ROOT - Root Description
>
> These look like plant attributes to me.  I need to do some database
> restructuring when things aquire authors/owners.

Might be a bit more complicated. These can be quite textural. See 
example below.

> This would be a good
> time to make changes to the schema.  We should talk again about the
> necessary attributes a plant should have.  IIRC everyone liked the
> existing schema but nobody had anything super important to
> add... except 'root habit'.
>
>  > BIOL - Biological industrial uses of this plant.
>  > CHEM - Chemistry information about this plant.
>  > COMR - Commercial application of this plant.
>  > PERS - My own personal experimentation and use of this plant.
>
> These look to me like comment types of information, except for CHEM
> and I'm not sure what that is even.
>
>  > Are we going to be stuck with just the pfaf sections/heading
>  > or can users add their own?
>
> Well, I think the attributes of a plant should become fixed at some
> point, and I'm not really sure I want to implement column additions to
> tables by end users;-)  I think a lot of the misc. type information
> can be effectively stored and retrieved via comments.
>
>  > > I think that our dataset should be able to accommodate all pertinent
>  > > info, if not we have some schema work to do.
>  > 
>  > If I can fit this data in, then I'll be happy with the schema!
>  > (i.e. it will be flexable enough).
>
> If there is pertinent info. and you can't fit it in
> appropriately/effectively we have failed.
I think we will need a flexiable scheme, which should not be too
hard to expand (maybe just admins rather than users).

> Cheers,
> Chad
An example of this data below

LATN
 Hydrastis canadensis.
FAM
 Ranunculaceae.
COMN
 Golden seal, yellow puccoon, yellowroot, orangeroot.
STEM
 Single, unbranched, hairy, 3 to 5 dm, green.
LVS
 2 alternate palmate leaves, sharply toothed, 5 lobes, up to 25 cm
 across, green.
INFL
 White, solitary, 3 petal-like sepals falling off during opening;
 numerous stamens, 12 to 20 pistils, spring.
FRUIT
 Dark red berries in a head, 2 seeds per berry.
ROOT
 Knotty, yellow to yellow-orange rhizome with fiberous rootlets.
GEN
 Perennial herb, rare.
HABT
 Rich forests, maple-beech stands, hardwood sites.
WHEN
 The root is collected in the late fall.
 The leaves are collected in the summer or fall after the seeds are 
ripe.
 It takes 3 to 4 years to produce marketable roots from rhizome
 buds (82).
WFOR
 The leaves are used fresh or dried.
 The roots are usually dried and used in a decoction, tincture or
 powdered.
 Dried rhizome .5 to 1 gram or by decoction, liquid extract
 1:1 in 60% ethanol dose .3 to 1. ml, all in t.i.d. doses (84).
MEDT
 There are many therapeutic values attributed to Hydrastis.
 The main qualities appear to be tonic (1,9,36,58,66),
 laxative (5,30,32,35,44,50,68) and stimulant (22,63,72,84).
 The root is also considered diuretic (5,35,38,63).
 Others say it has antiperiodic qualities (5,35,51).
 Because of its astringent qualities (51), it is used as a
 hemostatic (1,38,40,82,84).
 One of its actions appear to be that of a uterine hemostatic (31,72).
 The dried rhizomes and roots have been considered official (2).
SYMP
 The root decoction has been used to treat gonorrhea (5,63) and
 leucorrhea (32).
 The decoction of the root has been used beneficially in chronic
 inflamations of mucous membranes (5,29,51,58,63,66,82,84).
 Indians and caucasains have used the root decoction as a wash to treat
 eye infections and inflamations (9,22,27,30,32,35,38,40,50,63,72,84).
 The tincture, decoction or chewed root was used as a gargle or
 applied to mouth sores or ulcers, such as
 pyorrhea (30,32,35,36,38,50,63,72).
 To treat catarrhal conditions, a decoction or tincture was
 utilized (1,9,29,32,38,44,50,58).
 It is reputed to be useful in treating stomach and liver
 ailments (5,8,27,40,50,63,72,84).
 A cup of the tea is supposed to aid digestion (22,36).
 In an enema or tea, it helped to relieve the pain of
 hemorrhoids (5,22,32).
 The tea is also used to treat constipation (5,22,44).
 As a wash, the decoction was used to treat skin diseases, such as
 acne, eczema (50,73) and indolent ulcers (22,30,35,63).
 As an application, Hydrastis was used to treat chronic coryza,
 prolapsus ani and glandular swellings (32).
 The powdered roots were applied to cuts and wounds to promote scab
 formation (35,36).
POIS
 When eaten, Hydrastis produces ulcerations and
 catarrhal inflamations of any mucous surfaces (46,91).
 Pregnancy and hypertension are contraindications to its use (84).
 Symptoms include mouth and skin paresthesias, nausea,
 vomiting, hypotension, and siezures (91).
 Treatment is atropine 2 mg IM and repeat if necessary and
 maintain vitals (91).
BIOL
 The plant has shown hypoglycemic activity in experiments (40).
 The American Indians mixed the roots with bear grease and used the
 ointment as an insect repellant (36,63).
CHEM
 From the roots comes a yellow dye (5,9,22,27,44,63,82).
 Hydrastis canadensis contains the three alkaloids hydrastine,
 berberine (40) and canadine (1,31,58,82,84).
 Berberine has been shown to have antibiotic activity (40).
COMR
 Roots are easily sold to some drug companies (37).
 The commercial product Murine contains hydrastine hydrochloride
 and berberine hydrochloride (82).
PERS
 I have ingested one tablespoon of powdered root for the flu
 two days in a row.
 The taste was very bitter and quite unpalatable, never the less
 my health improved within two days.