Flowers are a great way to decorate and convey our feelings, it’s important to be educated on the blooms that can put us and our pets in harm’s way. This discussion is dedicated to familiarize yourself with some of the most common poisonous flowers with pictures.
7 of the World's Deadliest Plants:
1. Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata)
2. Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna)
3. White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima)
4. Castor Bean (Ricinus communis)
5. Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius)
6. Oleander (Nerium oleander)
7. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)
Reference:
https://www.britannica.com/list/7-of-the-worlds-deadliest-plants
A vegetarian family called "buttercup" or "crow man".
The suspected plant, also known as the aconitane, has flowers that are described as resembling the monks' caps. But this plant is also known by other names of a more ominous nature, such as "wolf gorge", "demon helmet" and "queen of toxins".
These names seem to be a more than sufficient indicator of the abhorrent reputation of "aconiton", one of the deadliest in the world.
Although the roots of this plant form the most toxic part, the leaves may also include a dose of poison. The roots and leaves contain a poison that affects the human nervous system and can be absorbed through the skin.
7 of the World's Deadliest Plants:
1. Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata)
2. Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna)
3. White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima)
4. Castor Bean (Ricinus communis)
5. Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius)
6. Oleander (Nerium oleander)
7. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)
Reference:
https://www.britannica.com/list/7-of-the-worlds-deadliest-plants
See links:
https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/the-9-most-dangerous-plants-in-the-world/
https://www.britannica.com/list/7-of-the-worlds-deadliest-plants
Very interesting question!
It depends on age. My youngest third cousin (she is 4 y.o.) hates Nettle
Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata) ...
Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna) ...
White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) ...
Castor Bean (Ricinus communis) ...
Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius) ...
Oleander (Nerium oleander) ...
Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)
Excellent contributions on this discussion.
The most dangerous plant:
Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata)
I have already replied to a similar question on this platform. Please see the following link.
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Which_7_of_the_worlds_Deadliest_Plants
look to same discussion
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Which_7_of_the_worlds_Deadliest_Plants
Follow this link to see 25 Most Dangerous Plants That Could Seriously Hurt:
https://list25.com/25-most-dangerous-plants-that-could-seriously-hurt-you/
Interesting question... I did not know that there is a dangerous plant ...
-Datura
-Calotropis
-Parthenium
-Nerium
-Ricinus
-Plumeria
-Cascabela thevetia
Best regards
-
Thanks Mr. Olutosin Ademola Otekunrin for information. If possible,
kindly share the picture of the plant for better understanding.
Regards
Thank you Dr. Mohammad Mehdizadeh for providing very useful link.
Regards
Different regions have particular toxic plants to them. There are publications on poisonous plants of East Africa, as well as those from Southern Africa which i am familiar with but can give an exhausive list here. It is also important to note that some of them are medicinal depending on how they are prepared and by whom
Dear Dr. Singh:
Very interesting and important question.
However, in fact, toxicity level is not an absolute concept.
Taking in account vegetable, most of them exhibit distinct level as function of season of year. Also, level of toxics compounds to humans can be found at different concentration if flower bud, flowers, sheets, seeds or sap are further considered. Here, if toxic or poison depend on the amount of active molecules and its activity, with correlation to mass of human. As function of its evolution, a broad set of molecules are synthesized, some are toxic to humans and poison to insects, and vice-versa. Most famous class of compounds called toxic are one belong to alkaloids. A relevant question is where the active molecule will actuate and where in the human body the poison is absorbed. The absorption can be skin, stomach and small intestine or large intestine. Despite of presence, the absorption can be small then the called irritant effect is observed while the organism tries to expel or neutralize active component. Here, some characteristics of efficient poison can be listed: high solubility in water, absence of underlined smell and taste, high absorption rate, with great concentration at bloodstream. After a high concentration level is reached in blood flow, the active molecules being selective can be active on the nervous system, heart, kidneys and liver. Here in Brazil are common plants in home belong to list below:
Datura stramonium
Allamanda cathartica, flowers and sheets ingestion, strong astringent effect
Brugmansia suaveolens
Thevetia peruviana, seed, cardiac glicosides, symphato inhibitory
Melia Azedarach, sheets and fruits
Dieffenbachia picta
Zantedeschia aethiopica, calcium oxalate
Strychnos nux-vomica
Euphorbia millii, injury via thorns
Abrus precatorius. Active molecule is 75 times more toxic that ricin
Mostera deliciosa
Nerium oleander, ingestion flowers and sheets, cardiac disturbes
Ficus pumila, sup, high calcium oxalate
Ricinus communis
Caladium bicolor, sheets, high calcium oxalate
Taxus baccata
with best regards
Marcos Nobre
Dear Dr. Marcos Augusto Lima Nobre
Thanks for your great discussion.
Regards
I do not consider any plant as "dangerous". The plants considered as toxic WILL be considered as some source of medicine in future, I trust.
It is the dose, that decide a phytochemical as poisonous or medicinal.
Thanks.
Dear collegues,
As an anecdote, the laurel rose (Nerum oleander) to defeat a squad of Napoleon's soldiers in 1808: some soldiers died in fact near Madrid after having consumed meat skewered on a branch of oleander which still bore its leaves.
Water hemlock is considered to be the most poisonous plant growing in North America. All parts of the water hemlock are toxic and can cause death in as little as 15 minutes.
Deadly nightshade ranks among the most poisonous plants in Europe. All parts of the plant are poisonous, and contain tropane alkaloids. It belongs to the Solenaceae family, as do the potato and tomato. Nightshade's principal danger lies in that its berries are very pretty and look edible, have a pleasantly sweet taste, and are at eye level for children, to whom they look like overripe cherries. Two to four berries are a fatal dose for a child, an adult needs ten to twenty. The most poisonous part of the plant is the root, but the consumption of even a single leaf can be fatal for an adult. Symptoms are initially a red face, dry mouth, dilated pupils and quickened pulse; in later stages, heart arrhythmia, tremors, hallucinations, paranoia and cramping.
Dear all,
In my ignorance, I have never thought of poisonous flowers. As they are beautiful, when I thought of flowers I only thought of beautiful things. So, this reality shows us that appearances may be decibing. In spite of appearing as a useless question, the question is really important due to its implications for one's health. Thank you Vinod for raising this question. I learnt a lot from reading the previous answer, Many thanks to all of you.
Best regards,
Orlando
Thanks Mr. Mehrdad Khatami & Dr. Gaston Sylvain for your suggestion.
If possible kindly provide picture of of the suggested plant.
Regards
White snakeroot, (Ageratina altissima), also called white sanicle, poisonous North American herb of the aster family (Asteraceae). White snakeroot contains a toxic alcohol (tremetol), and cattle allowed to pasture on the plant may suffer muscular tremors (the “trembles”), weakness, constipation, and death. Persons who drink the milk of affected cows may experience milk sickness, a condition that is marked by weakness, vomiting, and constipation and can be fatal. Milk sickness was responsible for the deaths of thousands of settlers in the American Midwest in the early 19th century.
Strophanthus caudata is a toxical tree, it is used as fish poison in Cambodia ,
as well as Barringtonia asiatica on the islands.
But
the seeds of Strophanthus caudata are locally used as a heart stimulant.
Dr. V. K. Singh , for example, you will find different pictures of Digitalis purpurea on both Wikipedia English and French sites: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitalis_purpurea and https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitalis_purpurea .
Digitalis purpurea is commonly grown as an ornamental. It is a beautiful plant and a source of pharmacological medication. According to the article on Wikipedia, "The main toxins in Digitalis spp. are the two chemically similar cardiac glycosides: digitoxin and digoxin."
Dendrocnide moroides (Wedd.) Chew (Urticaceae), to cite one that releases its toxins if touched.
https://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032(13)00088-4/pdf
http://www.globalsciencebooks.info/Online/GSBOnline/images/0706/FPSB_1(1)/FPSB_1(1)46-55o.pdf
7 of the World's Deadliest Plants
- Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata) ...
- Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna) ...
- White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) ...
- Castor Bean (Ricinus communis) ...
- Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius) ...
- Oleander (Nerium oleander) ...
- Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)
Prof. V. K. Singh asked a question with a broad point of view. The question is about the most dangerous plants and not only the most poisonus plants when eaten.
Some herbaceous plants, shrubs or trees can be dangerous when touched. Thats why the following answers are very good too:
- Dendrocnide excelsa and Heracleum mantegazzianum, cited by Prof. Nihada Ahmetovic as two of the 9 more dangerous plants;
- Dendrocnide moroides, answered by Valerio Lazzeri, as well as many other species of the genus Dendrocnide cited in the reference given par Mr. Lazzeri.
A cook from Agatha Christy's detective used digitalis instead of salvia and poisoned some people. A foxglove/digitalis/ is very dangerous (it depends on the dose)
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Наперстянка?fbclid=IwAR2qWl6LxnGkWRjoF_OtCiA8t5DFSV_C3q2fMzUUiOT85MYlJX16Af0E6f0
Castor Bean (Ricinus communis) ...Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius) ...Oleander (Nerium oleander) ...Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum
Aconitum napellus, "Monkshood," "Wolfsbane"
In ancient times, people would use it on arrow tips and as bait to kill wolves, which is why it's also called Wolfsbane.
Hemlock (Conium maculatum)
Hemlock gets its latin name from the Greek konas, (which means to whirl) because vertigo is one symptom of ingesting it. Because it is one of the most poisonous flowers , it was used by the ancient Greeks to kill convicted prisoners, most notably in the case of Socrates. There is no antidote for hemlock and it’s so poisonous that people have died eating birds who have eaten hemlock seeds.
Manchineel Tree (Hippomane mancinella)
The manchineel tree contains so many toxins that not all of them have been identified yet. The sap is toxic and can cause blistering after even a mild exposure. The toxicity is so high that it has been reported that people have been hurt after standing underneath the tree during the rain and the sap has been known to damage paint on cars. The Caribs of South America would often use the leaves of this tree to poison the water supply of their enemies. This tree is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most poisonous tree.
(Some) “Human beings are a much worse poison than schnapps or tobacco".”
― Erich Maria Remarque, Three Comrades https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1286333-human-beings-are-a-much-worse-poison-than-schnapps-or?fbclid=IwAR1254557zDDSSUww38EGrLUKPCynyRZJrTbFYxTQ6n_1IFPNe_0GE4j_qU
Toxicodendron vernicifluum
Lacquer tree- лаковое дерево (lat. Toxicodendron vernicifluum) is a plant of the Sumach family, a species of the Toxicodendron genus (formerly included in the Sumy genus), growing in China, Korea and Japan. Cultivated within its range.
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9B%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B5_%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%BE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_vernicifluum
Ricinus communis, the castor bean or castor oil plant, is a species of perennial flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus, Ricinus, and subtribe, Ricininae. The evolution of castor and its relation to other species are currently being studied using modern genetic tools.[3] It reproduces with a mixed pollination system which favors selfing by geitonogamy but at the same time can be an out-crosser by anemophily (wind pollination) orentomophily (insect pollination).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricinus
Ricin (/ˈraɪsɪn/ RY-sin), a lectin (a carbohydrate-binding protein) produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, is a highly potent toxin. A dose of purified ricin powder the size of a few grains of table salt can kill an adult human.The median lethal dose (LD50) of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body weight if the exposure is from injection or inhalation (1.78 milligrams for an average adult). Oral exposure to ricin is far less toxic as some of the poison is inactivated in the stomach. An estimated lethal oral dose in humans is approximately 1 milligram per kilogram.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricin
Chemical or biological warfare agent
A metal vial containing ricin from the 2003 ricin letters
The United States investigated ricin for its military potential during World War I.[46] At that time it was being considered for use either as a toxic dust or as a coating for bullets and shrapnel. The dust cloud concept could not be adequately developed, and the coated bullet/shrapnel concept would violate the Hague Convention of 1899 (adopted in U.S. law at 32 Stat. 1903), specifically Annex §2, Ch.1, Article 23, stating "... it is especially prohibited ... [t]o employ poison or poisoned arms".[47] World War I ended before the United States weaponized ricin.
During World War II the United States and Canada undertook studying ricin in cluster bombs.[48] Though there were plans formass production and several field trials with different bomblet concepts, the end conclusion was that it was no more economical than using phosgene. This conclusion was based on comparison of the final weapons, rather than ricin's toxicity (LCt50 ~10 mg/min/m3 [49]). Ricin was given the military symbol W or later WA.[citation needed] Interest in it continued for a short period after World War II, but soon subsided when the U.S. Army Chemical Corps began a program to weaponize sarin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricin
***
List of incidents involving ricin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_incidents_involving_ricin
Gelsemium is an Asian and North American genus of flowering plants belonging to family Gelsemiaceae. The genus contains three species of shrubs to straggling or twining climbers. Two species are native to North America, and one to China andSoutheast Asia.
Carl Linnaeus first classified G. sempervirens as Bignonia sempervirens in 1753; Antoine Laurent de Jussieu created a new genus for this species in 1789. Gelsemium is a Latinized form of the Italian word for jasmine, gelsomino. G. elegans is also nicknamed "heartbreak grass"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelsemium
***
Alleged poisoning victims
- Long Liyuan: In December 2011, Liyuan, a Chinese billionaire, died after eating cat-stew that was allegedly poisoned with Gelsemium elegans.
- Alexander Perepilichny: He died outside his UK home on 10 November 2012 after warning of Kremlin death threats he received related to the Magnitsky affair. A lawyer for the deceased's life insurance company told a pre-inquest hearing that toxicology reports had identified traces of gelsemium in his body. However, this was later denied by an expert at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, and the Police and coroner concluded that he died of natural causes.
Symptoms of poisoning
The poison affects the vision and respiration.Symptoms can appear almost immediately.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelsemium
Datura is a genus of nine species of poisonous vespertine flowering plants belonging to the family Solanaceae. They are commonly known as daturas, but also known as devil's trumpets, not to be confused with angel's trumpets, its closely related genus Brugmansia. They are also sometimes called moonflowers, jimsonweed, devil's weed, hell's bells, thorn-apple, and many more. Its precise and natural distribution is uncertain, owing to its extensive cultivation and naturalization throughout the temperate and tropical regions of the globe. Its distribution within the Americas and North Africa, however, is most likely restricted to the United States, Mexico and Southern Canada in North America, and Tunisia in Africa where the highest species diversity occurs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura
Peyote
Lophophora williamsii (/loʊˈfɒfərə wɪliˈæmsiaɪ/) or peyote (/pəˈjoʊti/) is a small, spineless cactus with psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. Peyote is a Spanish word derived from the Nahuatl, or Aztec, peyōtl [ˈpejoːt͡ɬ], meaning "glisten" or "glistening". Other sources translate the Nahuatl word as "Divine Messenger".[3][4] Peyote is native to Mexico and southwestern Texas. It is found primarily in the Chihuahuan Desert and in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and San Luis Potosí among scrub. It flowers from March to May, and sometimes as late as September. The flowers are pink, with thigmotactic anthers (like Opuntia).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peyote
Book P.F. Zabrodskii, N.G. Shilokhostov. Poisonous Plants and Ani...
Chondrodendron tomentosum is one of six accepted species in the small genus Chondrodendron, belonging to the Moonseed family Menispermaceae. It is a large tropical liana native to Central and South America contains highly toxic alkaloids and is one of the sources of the arrow poison curare - specifically 'tube curare', from the name of which is derived the name of the medicinally valuable alkaloid tubocurarine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chondrodendron_tomentosum
Strychnos is a genus of flowering plants, belonging to the family Loganiaceae (sometimes Strychnaceae). The genus includes about 100 accepted species of trees and lianas, and more than 200 that are as yet unresolved. The genus is widely distributed around the world's tropics and is noted for the presence of poisonous indole alkaloids in the roots, stems and leaves of various species. Among these alkaloids are the well-known and virulent poisons strychnine and curare.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strychnos
Abrin is an extremely toxic toxalbumin found in the seeds of the rosary pea (or jequirity pea), Abrus precatorius. It has amedian toxic dose of 0.7 micrograms per kilogram of body mass when given to mice intravenously (approximately 31.4 times more toxic than ricin, being 22 micrograms per kilogram). The median toxic dose for humans ranges from 10 to 1000 micrograms per kilogram when ingested and is 3.3 micrograms per kilogram when inhaled.
Abrin is a ribosome inhibiting protein like ricin, a toxin which can be found in the seeds of the castor oil plant and pulchellin, a toxin which can be found in the seeds of the Abrus pulchellus tenuiflorus. It is classed as a "Select Agent" under U.S. law.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrin
Brucine, an alkaloid closely related to strychnine, is most commonly found in the Strychnos nux-vomica tree. Brucine poisoning is rare, since it is usually ingested with strychnine, and strychnine is more toxic than brucine. In synthetic chemistry, it can be used as a tool for stereospecific chemical syntheses.
LD50 - Rabbit Oral 4 mg/kg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brucine
Strychnos nux-vomica, the strychnine tree, also known as nux vomica, poison nut, semen strychnos, and quaker buttons, is a deciduous tree native to India and to southeast Asia. It is a medium-sized tree in the family Loganiaceae that grows in open habitats. Its leaves are ovate and 2–3.5 inches (5.1–8.9 cm) in size.
It is a major source of the highly poisonous, intensely bitter alkaloids strychnine and brucine derived from the seeds inside the tree's round, green to orange fruit.The seeds contain approximately 1.5% strychnine, and the dried blossoms contain 1.0%.However, the tree's bark also contains brucine and other poisonous compounds.
Strychnos is promoted within alternative medicine as a treatment for many conditions, but the claims are not supported bymedical evidence.
The use of strychnine is highly regulated in many countries, and it is mostly used in baits to kill feral mammals, including wild dogs, foxes, and rodents. Most accidental poisoning is caused by breathing in the powder or by absorption through the skin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strychnos_nux-vomica
- Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata) ...
- Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna) ...
- White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) ...
- Castor Bean (Ricinus communis) ...
- Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius) ...
- Oleander (Nerium oleander) ...
In childhood, seniors spent a lot of time to explain to us the danger of so-called "crow's eye" (Voronii glaz - Rus, herb-paris or true lover's knot - Eng, Pāris quadrifōlia - Lat). These look very attractive for children.
I never tasted it...
The henbane (Hyoscýamus) we can meet at Ural, as well as beladonna (Atrópa belladónna), water hemlock (Conīum maculātum), cowbane (Cicúta virósa), and veratrum (Verátrum lobeliánum ) are not so attractive.
See in attachment, please, our cicuta.
Now we have a new misfortune - the Sosnowsky's hogweed (Heracleum sosnowskyi). It has a blistering effect, especially on the sun.
In general, we have a good forest, if you do not pull into the mouth things you don't know (especially mushrooms and wolfberries).
Bicuculline is a phthalide-isoquinoline compound that is a light-sensitive competitive antagonist of GABAA receptors. It was originally identified in 1932 in plant alkaloid extracts and has been isolated from Dicentra cucullaria, Adlumia fungosa, and several Corydalis species (all in subfamily Fumarioideae, previously known as family Fumariaceae). Since it blocks the inhibitory action of GABA receptors, the action of bicuculline mimics epilepsy. This property is utilized in laboratories across the world in the in vitro study of epilepsy, generally in hippocampal or cortical neurons in prepared brain slices from rodents. This compound is also routinely used to isolate glutamatergic (excitatory amino acid) receptor function.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicuculline
***
Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchman's breeches) is a perennial herbaceous plant, native to rich woods of eastern North America, with a disjunct population in the Columbia Basin.
The common name Dutchman's breeches derives from their white flowers that look like white breeches.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicentra_cucullaria
Adlumia fungosa is a species in the Papaveraceae that is commonly known as the Allegheny vine, climbing fumitory, or mountain fringe. It is a herbaceous, creeping, flowering plant and is closely related to the Fumitory genus, Fumaria.
Adlumia fungosa is a biennial climbing plant with very slender stems. The leaves are several times pinnately divided, prehensile, and feathery in texture. The white or pinkish flowers grow in large clusters and appear in summer. The plant grows on wet and wooded slopes, and is native to North America, particularly the Allegheny Mountains area. It is a threatened or endangered species throughout its range in northeastern North America, where it has not been completely extirpated. This vine can grow up to twelve feet in length on wooded and rocky slopes.
The species name fungosa means 'spongy' in Latin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adlumia_fungosa
Oleander (Nerium oleander) : The whole oleander plant is poisonous right down to the nectar. It is said that even the smoke from burning the plant is toxic and there are reports of serious poisoning resulting from using the twigs as cooking skewers. What constitutes a lethal does seems uncertain with some stating as little as one leaf. Another source states 100 grams (3.5oz) is enough to kill a fully grown horse.
Bufotenin (5-HO-DMT, bufotenine) is a tryptamine derivative related to the neurotransmitter serotonin. It is analkaloid found in the skin of some species of toads, mushrooms, higher plants, and mammals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bufotenin
***
Bufotein is found in the seeds of Anadenanthera peregrina, from which the aborigines of Peru and Haiti produce a powder called yopo. This powder is used by them intranasally during religious ceremonies and for witchcraft.
Dose
In studies of the well-known ethnobotanist Jonathan Ott, the dose of bufotenin, which causes a psychedelic effect, ranges from 5 to 100 mg, depending on the method of administration.
2 mg of the substance causes only somatic disorders. Up to 16 mg of the substance with the rapid introduction cause more serious somatic disorders, namely nausea and vomiting, mydriasis, nystagmus, a slight increase in heart rate and blood pressure. In addition, with this dosage, perceptual changes occur, the sense of time and space changes, light visual hallucinations appear, it becomes difficult to express thoughts.
***
Anadenanthera peregrina, also known as Anadenanthera colubrina, yopo, jopo, cohoba, parica or calcium tree, vilca, huilco, huilca, wilco, willka, curupay, curupau, cebil, or angico) is a South American tree closely related to yopo, or Anadenanthera peregrina. ), is a perennial tree of the genus Anadenanthera native to the Caribbean and South America. It grows up to 20 m (66 ft) tall, and has a horny bark. Its flowers are pale yellow to white and spherical. It is an entheogen which has been used in healing ceremonies and rituals for thousands of years in South America
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anadenanthera_peregrina
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anadenanthera_colubrina
Anamirta cocculus (Marathi: काकमारी) is a Southeast Asian and Indian climbing plant. Its fruit is the source of picrotoxin, apoisonous compound with stimulant properties.
The plant is large-stemmed (up to 10 cm in diameter); the bark is "corky gray" with white wood. The "small, yellowish-white, sweet-scented" flowers vary between 6 and 10 milliimeters across; the fruit produced is a drupe, "about 1 cm in diameter when dry"
The stem and the roots contain quaternary alkaloids, such as berberine, palmatine, magnoflorine and columbamine. The seeds deliver picrotoxin, a sesquiterpene, while the seed shells contain the tertiary alkaloids menispermine andparamenispermine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamirta_cocculus
Picrotoxin, also known as cocculin, is a poisonous crystalline plant compound. It was first isolated by the French pharmacist and chemist Pierre François Guillaume Boullay (1777–1869) in 1812.The name "picrotoxin" is a combination of the Greek words "picros" (bitter) and "toxicon" (poison).A mixture of two different compounds, picrotoxin occurs naturally in the fruit of the Anamirta cocculus plant, although it can also be synthesized chemically.
Due to its interactions with the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, picrotoxin acts as a stimulant and convulsant. It mainly impacts the central nervous system, causing seizures and respiratory paralysis in high enough doses.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picrotoxin
Cerbera odollam is a dicotyledonous angiosperm, a plant species in the Family Apocynaceae and commonly known as thesuicide tree, pong-pong, mintolla, and othalam. It bears a fruit known as Othalanga (Malayalam: ഒതളങ്ങ) that yields a potent poison that has been used for suicide and murder. It is a species native to India and other parts of southern Asia, growing preferentially in coastal salt swamps and in marshy areas but also grown as a hedge plant between home compounds.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerbera_odollam
The worst thing is that this “killer tree” is beautiful. When it blooms, a delicate scent of jasmine is heard in the area, and what flowers bloom at the same time! Flowers are replaced by fruits that can remind you of mangoes.
Cerbera odollam will not kill you instantly, no. You will die slowly and painfully. Calcium ions, which are contained in the fruit, will block the heart muscle, and this will lead to serious disturbances in the rhythm of the heartbeat. About an hour after you have eaten a sufficiently large amount of fruit, you will experience severe pain in the abdomen, and then you will most likely fall into a coma, from which you are unlikely to leave.
Cerberin is a type of cardiac glycoside, a steroidal class found in the seeds of the dicotyledonous angiosperm genus Cerbera; including the suicide tree (Cerbera odollam) and the sea mango (Cerbera manghas). This class includes digitalis-like agents, channel-blockers that as a group have found historic uses as cardiac treatments, but which at higher doses are extremely toxic; in the case of cerberin, consumption of the C. odollam results in poisoning with presenting nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, often leading to death. The natural product has been structurally characterized, its toxicity is clear—it is often used as an intentional human poison in third-world countries, and accidental poisonings with fatalities have resulted from individuals even indirectly consuming the agent—but its potentially therapeutic pharmacologic properties are very poorly described.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberin
Ranunculus sceleratus known by the common names celery-leaved buttercup and cursed buttercup is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It has a circumpolar distribution in the northern hemisphere, native to temperate and boreal North America and Eurasia, where it grows in wet and moist habitats, including ponds and streambanks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranunculus_sceleratus
Toxicology. The active ingredient in buttercups is - protoanemonin, C5H4 O2 - is a volatile compound with a very sharp and pungent taste.
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Protoanemonin (sometimes called anemonol or ranunculol is a toxin found in all plants of the buttercup family(Ranunculaceae). When the plant is wounded or macerated, the unstable glucoside found in the plant, ranunculin, isenzymatically broken down into glucose and the toxic protoanemonin. It is the lactone of 4-hydroxy-2,4-pentadienoic acid.
Contact with a wounded plant causes itch, rashes or blistering on contact with the skin or mucosa. Ingesting the toxin can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, spasms, acute hepatitis, jaundice, or paralysis.
When drying the plant, protoanemonin comes into contact with air and dimerizes to anemonin, which is furtherhydrolyzed to a non-toxic carboxylic acid.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protoanemonin
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