Galantamine sorceress Circe's drugs. It is believed that moly is the snowdrop "Galanthus nivalis", which is a source of galantamine. The descriptions of moly given by Greek physician and herbalist Dioscorides support moly's identity as "Galanthus nivalis". It has been proposed that the drugs Circe used were an extract from "Datura stramonium" (also known as jimsonweed), which causes memory loss and delirium. This would give a basis for the snowdrop's use as an antidote, as "Datura stramonium" is anticholinergic, while galantamine is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Galantamine is indicated for the treatment of mild to moderate vascular dementia and Alzheimer's. In the
Micranthes nivalis Russia, Canada, Alaska and Greenland. The plant was first described by Carl Linnaeus in "Flora Lapponica" (1737), as a result of his Lapland voyage. Some populations from the Canadian Province of Quebec have been recognized as a distinct species by some authors, a variety of "M. nivalis" others: is distinguished from var. "nivalis" by smaller inflorescences and narrower leaves. It is known only from the Shickshock Mountains of the Gaspé Peninsula of southeastern Québec. It has been suggested that this may be a hybrid of "M. nivalis" and "M. tenuis;" further study is warranted. Micranthes nivalis Micranthes nivalis is a