What is "dauricine"

Dauricine is a plant metabolite, chemically classified as a phenol, an aromatic ether, and an isoquinoline alkaloid. It has been isolated from the Asian vine Menispermum dauricum, commonly known as Asian moonseed, and the North American vine Menispermum canadense, commonly known as Canadian moonseed. Scientists Tetsuji Kametani and Keiichiro Fukumoto of Japan are credited with being the first to synthesize dauricine in 1964, using both the Arndt-Eistert reaction and Bischler-Napieralski reaction to do so. Dauricine has been show to play a variety of biological roles in the human body, from inhibiting cancer cell growth to blocking cardiac transmembrane Na, K, and Ca ion currents.