Common Indian plant

poisons

Dr.G.Shreedevi
 Classification
I –Deliriant poisons
Dhatura
Atropa belladona
Cannabis indica
Cocaine
Hyoscymus niger
II – Spinal poisons
Strychnine
Gelsemium
Calabar bean
III – Peripheral nerve poisons
Curare
Conium
IV – Cardiac poisons
Digitalis purpurea
Oleander
Aconite
Nicotine
 Dhatura
 Poisonous in all it’s parts.but seeds and
fruits are considered to be more toxic
 An average size fruit contains 450 – 500
seeds
 Grows in waste places all over india at high
altitudes
 Active principles
Contains alkaloids,
Lavevohyoscyamins
Hyoscine
Traces of atropine
 Alkaloids stimulates the higher & other
centres of the brain
 Paralysing action on various nerves
 Inhibit secretions of sweat & saliva
 Dilates cutaneous blood vessels/pupils
 Stimulates heat regulating centre situated in
the floor of the 3 ventricle
 Initial stimulation is followed by depression
 Fatal dose & period
 100 – 125 seeds
 Lethal dose-60mgs in adults,4mgs in
children
 Death occurs usually within 24hrs
 Clinical features
 With in half an hr – bitter taste
Dryness of the mouth/throat
Burning pain in the stomach
Difficulty in swallowing/Talking
 Muttering delirium
 Pt initially become restless & confused &
later becomes delirious.
 Pt may be nosiy,violent & subject to
dreadful hallucinations of sight & hearing
 The condition may pass on to
stupor,convusions,coma & death from
rep.failure
 D/D
 Alcoholic
 Heat stroke
 Treatment
 Stomach wash with 1:10,000 potassium
permanganate
 Neostigmine –0.5mg injected
subcutaneously.2.5mg IV every 3 hrs.
 Symptomatic treatment
 Morphine is contraindicated as it depresses
respiratory centre
 Cannabis indica
 All it’s parts are poisonous
 In india it’s used to prepare Ganja,bhang
 Increasing use by teenagers
 Clinical features
 Acute poisoning-Excitement with visual
hallucinations,euphoria,marked increase in
appetite
 Generalised anaesthesia in case of severe
poisoning
 Recovery usually follows a deep sleep of
several hrs
 Chronic poisoning – prolonged use
cause loss of appetite,general
weakness,tremors,mental detoriation &
psychotic features
 Fatal dose
 Lethal dose for
 Ganja –8000mg/kg body wt
 Bhang –10,000mg/kg body wt
 Death may occur in 12 hrs in case of acute
poisoning
 treatment
 Stomach wash with warm water
 Oral diazepam-0.1mg/kg,controls
excitement & convulsions
 Symptomatic treatment
 Atropine
 Chidrens eating berries of deadly night
shade(Atropa belladona)
 Effects
 Produces CNS stimulation & parasymapthetic
post ganglionic blockage

 Hot as a hare

 Blind as a bat-dilated & fixed pupils

 Dry as a bore – supression of salivation & other

secretions
 Red as betroot – vasodilatation

 Daft as brush-restless & agitated,inco-

ordinated staggering gait,incoherent speech

 Letah dose – 100 – 150mg(Adults)

 Treatment
 Stomach wash
 Physostigmine salicylate
 Sedation
 Control pyrexia
 Cocaine
 Is an alkaloid derivative from coca,the dried
leaves of the plant Erythroxylum coca
 Drug addicts use it as a plain snuff or mixed
with boric acid.it causes ulceration of the
nasal mucous membrane & even perforation
of nasal septum

 Fatal dose and period
 Fatal dose – 1 gm
 Rapidly absorbed through mucous
membrane,fatal dose is as low as 30mg
 Death usually occurs in about 2hrs
 Clinical features
 Acute poisoning – Acts first as a stimulant &
then depressant of the nervous system
 Chronic poisoning – tongue & teeth of habitual
cocaine eaters are black.Anorexia,loss of
weight,weekness,tremors,impotence & insomnia
 Magnan’s symptom – Feeling as if grains of
sand are lying under the skin.
 Cocaine bugs – small insects creeping on
the skin is the most characteristic tactile
hallucination
 Treatment
 If drug is injected,absorption can be limited
if torniquet is applied at the injection site
 If applied locally to the nose or
throat,washing with warm water or saline
 If swallowed stomach wash with potassium
permanganate or tannic acid
 Oleander
 Widely cultivated in india
 2 varieties- Nerium odorum(white oleander)
Cerebra thivetia(yellow oleander)
Oleander
Yellow oleander
 Triad(ECG)
 Erythema(circumoral)
 Cardiac dysrrhythmias
 GI disturbances
 NERIUM ODORUM

 FATAL DOSE - 15gm

 FATAL PERIOD - 24 – 36 hrs

 Clinical features
 HEAD ACHE
 RESPIRATORY DIFFICULTY
 G.I. DISTURBANCE
 PULSE RATE – SLOW , LATER RAPID AND
WEAK
 HYPOTENSION
 CNS DISTURBANCE
 DILATED PUPILS
 CEREBRA THEVETIA

 FATAL DOSE – 8 -10 SEEDS

 FATAL PERIOD – 2 – 3hrs
 MECHANISM OF ACTION
Inhibition of Na+K+ ATPase pump

↑Na+ intracellularly, ↑K+ extracellularly

Na+ Ca+ exchange pump activated

↑Sarcoplasmic Ca2+ → inotropicity

Toxic
Delayed after depolarisations

Dysrrhythmias
 Increases the vagal tone

 Decreases the S.A node depolarisation

 Clinical features
 BURNING PAIN IN THE MOUTH
 DRYNESS OF THROAT
 G.I. DISTURBANCE
 PULSE – WEAK AND RAPID
 HYPOTENSION
 CONVULSIONS
 HEART BLOCK
 DILATED PUPILS
BRADYARRHYTHMIA
Second degree heart
block
Complete heart block
 Treatment
 GUT DECONTAMINATION
 CORRECTION OF ELECTROLYTE
IMBALANCE(HYPERKALEMIA)
 CORRECTION OF BRADYCARDIA
 (ATROPINE\PACING)
 CORRECTION OF CARDIAC
DYSRHYTHMIA(LIDOCAINE\PHENYTOIN)
PACEMAKER RHYTHM
 Plants containing digoxin
Foxglove
Oleander
Lily of the valley