Phytochemicals: The good, the bad and the ugly?

The perception of phytochemicals can be good or bad, depending on viewpoint. This review describes phytochemicals isolated from poisonous plants of the genera Taxus, Veratrum, Lupinus, Swainsona, Astragalus, Oxytropis, Castanospermum and Ipomoea, some of which are currently in clinical use, others that have been used to produce animal models of human disease, and even more that have shown potential for development into drug candidates.