A toxic alkaloid compound found in the seeds and roots of certain plants in the lupin family, used historically in insecticides.
From Greek 'ana-' (up, back) + 'gyrein' (to turn), referring to the plant's twining growth habit. The suffix '-in' denotes a chemical alkaloid compound. First isolated in the 19th century from Anagyris plants.
Anagyrin is so poisonous that it can cause developmental problems in livestock that eat infected plants—farmers in the western US learned this when cattle and sheep were harmed by grazing on lupines. This led scientists to study how a simple plant compound could have such profound biological effects.
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