Cytisine
chemical compound
Cytisine, also known as baptitoxine, cytisinicline, or sophorine, is an alkaloid that occurs naturally in several plant genera, such as Laburnum and Cytisus of the family Fabaceae. It has been used medically to help with smoking cessation. It has been found effective in several randomized clinical trials, including in the United States and New Zealand, and is being investigated in additional trials in the United States and a non-inferiority trial in Australia in which it is being compared head-to-head with the smoking cessation aid varenicline (sold in the United States as Chantix). It has also been used entheogenically via mescalbeans by some Native American groups, historically in the Rio Grande Valley predating even peyote.
Cytisine is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.
Uses
Smoking cessation
Cytisine has been available in post-Soviet states as an aid to smoking cessation under the brand name Tabex from the Bulgarian pharmaceutical company Sopharma AD. In 1961, Bulgarian pharmacist Strashimir Ingilizov synthesized Tabex using the alkaloid Cytisine which was derived from the seeds of the yellow acacia (Cytisus laburnum), a European decorative shrub prevalent in Bulgaria and commonly referred to as "golden rain". It was first marketed in Bulgaria in 1964 and then became widely available in the Soviet Union. In Poland, it is sold under the brand name Desmoxan, and it is also available in Canada under the brand name Cravv.
Its molecular structure has some similarity to that of nicotine, and it has similar pharmacological effects. Like the smoking cessation aid varenicline, cytisine is a partial agonist of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs).
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Cytisine” as chemical compound. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as chemical compound. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q417343. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1961 and 1964.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Cytisine”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Cytisine primary sources, Cytisine archive and Cytisine research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cytisine”?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Cytisine” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.