POISONOUS PLANTS

INTRODUCTION

• More than 700 plants have been identified as producing physiologically active or toxic substances in
sufficient amounts to cause harmful effects in animals. Poisonous plants produce a variety of toxic
substances and cause reactions ranging from mild nausea to death.
• Poisonous plants annually cause significantly large losses of money through injury to man and
livestock.
• Ingestion of household plants by children under age five is the leading cause of inquiries to poison
control centers nationwide.
• The best treatment for poisoning is to prevent it from ever happening. Teach children not to taste or
play with or eat non-food plants both indoors and outdoors.
• Chemicals concentrated in the cells of roots, leaves, bark and seeds serve as the plant’s defense
against insect and animal attack. Some of these compounds can be toxic, especially if ingested or
touched by humans and can, result in adverse reactions.
 POISON

• Any substance which, when taken into the system, acts injuriously, in a manner
neither thermal nor mechanical, tending to cause death or serious detriment to
health.
 CLASSES OF POISONS

Classes of poisons from a physiological standpoint

• Poisons Acting on the Brain – includes narcotics, deliriants, and inebriants.
Poppy, jimson weed and black nightshade fall into this category.
• Poisons acting on the spinal cord – convulsive.
• Poisons acting on the heart – depressants and asthenic. Poison hemlock,
foxglove and oleander fall into this category.
• Vegetable irritants – purgatives, abortive, irritants with nervous symptoms
and simple irritants. Castor bean plant as well as many, many others fall into
this category.
 LIST OF PLANTS

There are many poisonous plants and some of them are used as natural pesticide.
• Foxglove,
• Pyrethrum Flower,
• Tobacco,
• Red Squill,
• Poison Hemlock,
• Strychnine,
• Datura,
• Poppy
 FOXGLOVE

• Synonyms: Digitalis, Purple foxglove, Fairy glove, Digitora, Digitalis folium etc.
• Scientific name: Digitalis purpurea.
• Family: Scrophulariaceae.
• Chemical constituents: Digitalis contains about 35 glycosides. The most important
glycosides which have medicinal importance are digitoxin, gitoxin, and gilaloxin
which are secondary glycosides. In addition to cardiac glycosides it also contain
tannins, inositol, luteolin, acids, fatty matters etc. It also contains anthraquinone
derivatives such as 1- methoxy -2- methylanthraquinone, 3- methoxy -2-
methylanthraquinone etc.
 FOXGLOVE

Uses:
1. Digitalis is used as a cardiac stimulant and tonic.
2. It is also used for congestive heart failure, atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation.

Poisonous effects:
Foxglove contains digoxin an active constituent. Over dose of digoxin has poisonous
effects, it can cause fatigue, blurred vision, change in color vision, anorexia, nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, dizziness, confusion, delirium. It is
also associated with characteristic cardiac arrhythmias.
 FOXGLOVE

Management
• The primary treatment of digoxin toxicity is digoxin immune Fab, made up of
anti-digoxin immunoglobulin fragments. The dose depends on the serum digoxin
concentration and the weight of the patient.
• Other treatment that may be tried to treat life-threatening arrhythmias, until
digoxin Immune Fab is acquired, treatment can be given by using magnesium,
phenytoin, and lidocaine, Atropine, catecholamines (isoprenaline or salbutamol),
and temporary cardiac pacing may also used in cases of bradyarrhythmias.
 PYRETHRUM FLOWER

• Synonyms: Dalmatian insect powder, Persian insect powder,

Pyrethrum, Painted daisy, Painted lady (Coccineum) etc.
• Scientific name: Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium.
• Family: Compositae.
• Using part: Flower head
• Chemical constituents: Pyrethrum contains volatile oil (1-
1.5%), ester of chrysanthemic acid, pyrethric acid, resin,
pyretol and other other compounds are present. The
alcoholic group of the pyrethrins is the keto-alcohol
pyrethrolone and that of the cinerins is the Keto-alcohol
cinerolone. Pyrethrins are readily oxidized and become
inactive in air. They are insoluble in water but soluble in
alcohol, petroleum ether etc, and they are yellowish in color.
 PYRETHRUM FLOWER

Uses:
1. Pyrethrum flowers and pyrethrins are toxic and insecticidal and used as a contact poison
for insects in the form of powder or spray.
2. It is also used as a spray against parasitic insects.
Poisonous effects: Pyrethrum flowers contains pyrethrins which have poisonous
effects, they can cause asthmatic breathing, sneezing, nasal stuffiness, headache,
nausea, incoordination, tremors, convulsions, facial flushing and swelling, and burning
and itching sensation. Pyrethrins are highly poisonous for insects and they are also
poisonous for cat and fish.
 TOBACCO

Synonyms: Leaf tobacco, Tamaku (Hindi), Tobacco plant, Drug of abuse , Street
drug , Herb , Herbaceous plant etc.
Scientific name: Nicotiana tabacum
Family: Solanaceae.
Biological source: Tobacco consists of the cured and dried leaves of Nicotiana
tabacum Linn.
 TOB ACCO

Chemical constituents:
• Tobacco contains several pyridine alkaloids (4-6%) of which nicotine (0.6-9%) is the
most important. The other basic components are nicotyrine, nicotimine, 1- nornicotine,
anatabine, etc.
• Tobacco contains 25-50% carbohydrates mainly sucrose, starch, cellulose, maltose,
lignin etc.
• It contains a high percentage of organic acids (~20%) mainly malic acid, citric acid and
oxalic acid. Other acids that have been identified are maleic acid, fumaric acid, lactic
acid etc.
• It also contains nearly 60 phenolic compounds such as melilotic acid, phenol, guaiacol,
eugenol etc. In addition to these, tobacco also contains resins, paraffins, amino acids,
vitamins, enzymes mineral contents and some other compounds.
 TOBACCO

Uses:
1. Tobacco is used as sedative, narcotic, emetic, and antiseptic.
2. It is used in rheumatic swelling, skin diseases and for insect killing.
3. It is widely used for smoking and as an agricultural insecticide.
 TOBACCO

Poisonous effect
• Cancer
• Pulmonary diseases
• Cardiovascular
• Renal diseases
• Female infertility
Management: Amount of intake of tobacco must be limited. Initial control of nicotine
poisoning may be including administration of activated charcoal, to try to decrease
gastrointestinal absorption. Other way to control its poisonous effect by administration of
benzodiazepine for seizure, intravenous fluid for hypotension and administration of
atropine for bradycardia
 RED SQUILL

• Synonyms: Squill, Sea squill, Sea onion,

Maritime squill, Red squill etc.
• Scientific name: Drimia maritime.
• Family: Liliaceae.

• Biological source: Red squill consists of the

dried sliced scales of fleshy inner bulb of the
red variety of Drimia maritime. The central
part of the bulb is removed during its
preparation.
 RED SQUILL

• Chemical constituents: Red squill contains cardiac glycosides and glycosides

scilliroside and scillirubroside. It contains cardiac glycoside scillaren A and enzyme
scillarenase composed of proscillaridin and glucose.
• Uses: Red squill is used as a rodenticide to kill rodents. When taken by rodents,
convulsions, respiratory failure and as a result death occur.
• Poisonous effects: It causes to kill rats and rodents, but non-toxic to warm blood
animals. It is toxic to rats because of their inability to vomit while the product is
intake. When red squill is taken by rodents convulsions, respiratory failure and death
occurs. Squill is mixed in baits. As in many other rodenticide operations applied at
10% concentration in baits composed of meat, fish, cereals or other types of baits.
 RED SQUILL

• The plant is a popular rodenticide for nearly as long as it has been in use as a
medicine. The bulbs are dried and cut into chips, which can then be powdered and
mixed with rat bait. The plant was introduced as an experimental agricultural crop
in the 20th century primarily to develop high-toxicity varieties for use as rat poison.
 POISON HEMLOCK

• Synonyms: Devil's bread, Devil's porridge,

Poison parsley, Spotted corobane, Spotted
hemlock, Devil’s flower etc.
• Scientific name: Conium maculatum.
• Family: Apiaceae.
• Poisonous part: All parts of poison-hemlock
(leaves, stem, fruit, and root) are poisonous.
Leaves are especially poisonous in the spring,
up to the time the plant flowers.
 POISON HEMLOCK

• Chemical constituents:
It contains the piperidine alkaloids coniine, N-methylconiine, conhydrine,
pseudoconhydrine and gamma-coniceine , which is the precursor of the other
hemlock alkaloids.
Eight piperidinic alkaloids have been identified in this species. Two of them,
gamma-coniceine and coniine are generally the most abundant and they account for
most of the plant's acute and chronic toxicity.
• Uses:
Poison hemlock has been used as a sedative.
It is also used for a variety of problems, such as arthritis.
It is an important remedy in homeopathy.
 POISON HEMLOCK

Poisonous effects:
It contains coniine which disrupts the CNS through action on nicotinic acetylcholine
receptors. High concentration of coniine can be dangerous to human.
Due to high potency, the ingestion of small doses can causes respiratory collapse and
death. Coniine causes death by blocking the neuromuscular junction and causes muscular
paralyzed.
It is poison to animals. In a short time the alkaloid produces a potentially fatal
neuromuscular blockage when respiratory muscle are affected chronic toxicity affects
any pregnant animal, when they are poisoned by c. maculatum during the fetus’ organs
formation period, the offspring is born with malformations.
Domestic animals are all affected by eating small amount of poison hemlock.
 POISON HEMLOCK

Management:
• Most management strategies are designed to reduce the incidence of poisoning in
livestock. When poison hemlock infestations are present, injury can be minimized
by preventing grazing in areas where the plant is the only available.
• It is important to prevent a small-scale infestation of poison hemlock from
becoming a more significant problem. This can be accomplished by periodically
inspecting the area for newly established plants. Once identified, remove
individual plants by hand pulling, hoeing, or spot application of an herbicide.
• Wear gloves to minimize direct contact with the toxic sap. It is essential to
prevent isolated plants or a small cluster of plants from producing seed. Don't
burn plants or plant debris, because burning may release toxins into the air. Use
certified weed-free hay in order to prevent poisoning livestock.
 STRYCHNINE

Synonyms: Poison nut, Semina strychni, Quaker buttons, Vomit nut, Dog buttons,
Nux vomica seeds etc.
Scientific name: Strychnos nux-vomica.
Family: Loganiaceae.
Biological source: It is found in the dried seeds of Strychnos nux-vomica. The
dried seed contain 1.2% of strychnine.
Chemical constituents: The plant’s seed contain indole alkaloid, strychnine (about
1.24%) and brucine (about 1.5%). It also contains glycosides, fixed oils, loanin.
 S T RY C H NI NE

Uses:
1. Strychnine is used as circulatory stimulant, as a result it increases blood pressure. Thus
it is also useful in certain cases of heart failure.
2. It is also used as bitter tonic.
3. Strychnine improves the appetite and digestion. Because of this it is used in stomachic
and in constipation.
e.
 S T RY C H N I NE

Poisonous effects:
• Strychnine poisoning can be fatal to humans and other animals and
can occur by inhalation, swallowing or absorption through eyes or
mouth.
• It produces some of the most dramatic and painful symptoms of any
known toxic reaction. Ten to twenty minutes after exposure, the
body's muscles begin to spasm, starting with the head and neck in
the form of trismus and risus sardonicus. The spasms then spread to
every muscle in the body, with nearly continuous convulsions, and
get worse at the slightest stimulus. The convulsions progress,
increasing in intensity and frequency until the backbone arches
continually. Convulsions lead to lactic acidosis, hyperthermia and
rhabdomyolysis.
• Death comes from asphyxiation caused by paralysis of the neural
pathways that control breathing, or by exhaustion from the
convulsions. The subject dies within 2–3 hours after exposure
 STRYCHNINE

Management:
There is no specific antidote for strychnine. Treatment of strychnine poisoning
involves an oral application of an activated charcoal.
Anticonvulsants such as phenobarbital or diazepam are administered to control
convulsions, along with muscle relaxants such as dantrolene to combat muscle
rigidity. If the patient survives past 24 hours, recovery is probable.
The treatment for strychnine poisoning in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was to
administer tannic acid which precipitates the strychnine as an insoluble tannate salt, and
then to anaesthetize the patient with chloroform until the effects of the strychnine had
worn off.
 DATURA

Synonyms: Shada dhutra (Bengali), Datura, Thornapple, Jamestown weed, Devil’s

apple, Apple of Peru, Stinkweed etc.
Scientific name: Datura stramonium.
Family: Solanaceae.
Biological source: Datura consists of dried leaves and flowering tops of Datura
stramonium
Chemical constituents: Datura’s dried leaves and roots contain 0.2-0.45% tropane
alkaloids, especially hyoscyamine and hyoscine. It also contains protein albumin,
flavonoids, tannins etc. The seeds contains 0.2% of mydriatic alkaloids and 15-30% of
fixed oil.
 DATURA

Uses:
1. Datura is used as narcotic, anti-spasmodic and
anodyne.
2. It is chiefly used to relieve the spasm of the
bronchioles in asthma.
3. Datura’s leaves are used in the treatment of
parkinsonism, asthma, sores and fish-bites.
4. It’s flower juice is used to treat ear-ache.
5. Datura’s fruit juice is applied in the scalp for
curing dandruff and hair fall.
 DATURA

Poisonous effects:
• Datura is poisonous because it contains dangerous level of the Tropane, Atropine,
Hyoscyamine and Scopolamine mainly in their seed and flowers. Because of the
presence of these substances, Datura has been used for centuries in some culture as
a poison and as a hallucinogen, and its toxicity depends on its age.
• Intake of Datura causes serious illness or even death may occur. There are several
reports in medical literature of death from Datura.
• In some countries like Europe, India Datura has been a purpose for suicide and
murder. Not only for human beings, it’s also poisonous for insects.
• Datura produce effects like delirium, inability to differentiate reality from fantasy,
hyperthermia, also causes tachycardia
 DATURA

Management:
As with any toxic exposure, the foundation of patient management is supportive
care and patient reassurance, because of CNS effect of the belladonna alkaloid,
initial intravenous route is focused on addressing these issues that protect the
patient and their caregivers.
In several cases, physostigmine, a cholinesterase inhibitor used to reverse
anticholinergic toxicity. Physostigmine should be given intravenous to adult in a
dose of 0.5-2.0mg at a rate not more than 1mg/min. Children should receive
0.02mg in intravenous and the rate should not exceed 0.5mg/min.
 POPPY

Synonyms: Opium poppy , poppyseed poppy, Thebaine poppy , great scarlet

poppy ,Oleum Papaveris Seminis , lipiodol etc.
Scientific name: Papaver somniferum.
Family: Papaveraceae.
Biological source: Opium is obtain from seeds, which are obtain from dried latex
capsules of papaves somniferum.
Chemical constituents: Poppy is rich in oil, carbohydrates, calcium, and protein. It
also contains morphine, heroin and codeine. Poppy’s seed contains vitamin E (12%),
folate (vitamin B9) (21%), calcium (144%), Protein (18g) etc.
 POPPY

Uses:
• Ancient Egyptian doctors would have their patients eat seeds from a poppy to
relieve pain. Poppy seeds contain small quantities of both morphine and codeine,
which are pain-relieving drugs that are still used today.
• Poppy seeds and fixed oils can also be non narcotic because when they are
harvested. The morphine practically disappears from the seeds twenty days after the
flower has opened.
 POPPY

Poisonous effects: Heroin a chemical constituent of poppy has many poisonous

effect on our body. It can causes Coma, pinpoint pupils, respiratory depression,
histamine degranulation, Complete respiratory collapse in severe poisoning, death
by central respiratory arrest.
Management: Heroin’s poisonous effects are managed with Respiratory support,
Naloxone which is a opioid antagonist, and Nalorphine which is a alternative
antagonist.