PlantsCaseSacreddatura(Daturawrightii)

D.wrightiiisfoundinnorthernMexicoandtheadjoiningU.S.states,asfarnorthassouthernUtah,inopenlandwithwell-drainedsoils.[2]Itisalsocommonlyplantedasanornamental,especiallyinxeriscapes.Sacredthornappleisanativeannualorperennialbroadleaf.InCaliforniaitisfoundinthesouthwesternregion,desertregions,central-westernregion,CentralValley,centralandsouthernSierraNevada,TehachapiMountains,andeasternNorthCoastRangestoanelevationof7200feet(2200m).Itinhabitsagriculturallandandopen,disturbed,andunmanagedsites.Thisplantistoxictohumansandlivestockwheningested.Livestockseldomconsumefreshplantsbecauseoftheirunpleasantscentandtaste.However,livestockcanconsumedriedfoliageandlargenumbersofgroundseedinpoorqualityhayorfeed,causinghealthproblems.Sacredthornappleissimilartoarelatedannualspecies,jimsonweed,Daturastramonium.D.wrightiihasalsobeenusedtoinducehallucinationforrecreationalpurposes.IngestionofplantmaterialcaninduceauditoryandvisualhallucinationssimilartothoseofDaturastramonium,withtheactivecompoundsbeingconcentratedintheseedpodsandroots;concentrationsvarywidelybetweensamples,andonsetisslow.Thismakesdosageestimationdifficultandaddsfurtherrisktotheadministrationofmaterialthatalreadyhaspotentiallylethalsideeffects.Scopolamineistheprimaryactivemolecule;itisrelatedtoatropine,withasimilar,largelyanticholinergicactivity.Effectsmayincludedrymouth,hyperthermia,profusesweating,drowsiness,lethargy,andanterogradeamnesia-alongwiththeafore-mentionedhallucinationsandsensorydistortions.Thesecompoundsalsoinduceaprofounddilatationofthepupilsandsuppresseyesaccades,resultinginconsiderabledegradationofvisualacuity,oftentothepointoffunctionalblindness.Thismaypersist,toareduceddegree,fordays.Thecombinedeffectmayresultinapanicstateintheuser,aparticularlydangeroussituationinsomeonetemporarilydeprivedofusefulvision;usersarepronetoseriousaccidentalinjury.Scopolamineinducesrespiratorydepressionathallucinogenicdoses.Thecombinationof

anesthesia(inthehospital)andDaturaisusuallyfatalduetocombinedrespiratorydepression.[1]Seizuresandfeversashighas43°C(109°F)havebeenreported.Foxglove(Digitalissp)

Digitalisisagenusofabout20speciesofherbaceousperennials,shrubs,andbiennialscommonlycalledfoxgloves.ThisgenusisnativetowesternandsouthwesternEurope,[4]westernandcentralAsia,AustralasiaandnorthwesternAfrica.Agroupofmedicinesextractedfromfoxgloveplantsarecalleddigitalin.TheuseofD.purpureaextractcontainingcardiacglycosidesforthetreatmentofheartconditionswasfirstdescribedintheEnglish-speakingmedicalliteraturebyWilliamWithering,in1785,[10][11]whichisconsideredthebeginningofmoderntherapeutics.[12][13]Itisusedtoincreasecardiaccontractility(itisapositiveinotrope)andasanantiarrhythmicagenttocontroltheheartrate,particularlyintheirregular(andoftenfast)atrialfibrillation.Digitalistoxicity(Digitalisintoxication)resultsfromanoverdoseofdigitalisandcausesnausea,vomitinganddiarrhea,aswellassometimesresultinginxanthopsia(jaundicedoryellowvision)andtheappearanceofblurredoutlines(halos),drooling,abnormalheartrate,cardiacarrhythmias,weakness,collapse,dilatedpupils,tremors,seizures,andevendeath.Bradycardiaalsooccurs.Becauseafrequentsideeffectofdigitalisisreductionofappetite,someindividualshaveusedthedrugasaweight-lossaid.Theentireplantistoxic(includingtherootsandseeds).Mortalityisrare,butcasereportsdoexist.

Autumncrocus(Colchicumautumnale)

ColchicumautumnaleistheonlyspeciesofitsgenusnativetotheGreatBritainandIreland,[5][6]withnotablepopulationsunderthestewardshipoftheCountyWildlifeTrusts.ItalsooccursacrossmainlandEuropefromPortugaltoUkraine,andisreportedlynaturalizedinDenmark,Sweden,EuropeanRussia,theBalticStatesandNewZealand.[2]Whiletheactiveingredient,thealkaloidcolchicine,wasonlyrecognizedandisolatedfromtheAutumnCrocusin1820,itsmedicinalusepriortothenwasbasedonusingthedriedseeds,flowers,andcormsoftheplant.Driedseeds,forexample,contain4partsperthousandofcolchicine.Unfortunately,usingthedruginthesecrudeformspresentedasignificantriskofpoisoningsincetheamountoftheactivedrugintheplantvariesfromplanttoplant,plantparttoplantpart,andseasontoseason.TheAutumnCrocushasalonghistoryasapoison.Greekslaveswereknowntohaveeatentheplanttomakethemselvessick,andeventocommitsuicide.Probablythemostsignificantuseofcolchicineinmedicinehasbeeninthetreatmentofgout,adiseasecharacterizedbythepainfulinflammationofjointsinresponsetouratecrystalsdepositedinthejointtissue.AncientwritingsmakevaguereferencestoAutumnCrocusbeingusedtocontrolthisdisease.ThefirstdocumenteduseoftheplanttotreatgoutwasmadebyAlexanderofTrallesinthe6thcenturyA.D.Throughtheyears,overdoseswerenotuncommonandfatalitiesoccurred.Sincegoutwasacommonailmentamongthenobleandwealthy,physiciansmusthaveheldaratherprecariousposition.Ifthepatientdiedfromthecolchicineprescription,severepunishmentswerehandedout.Insomeinstancesphysiciansevenpaidwiththeirlives.BenjaminFranklin,himselfasuffererfromgout,issaidtobethefirstpersontointroducecolchicinetherapyintotheUnitedStates.Itisstillusedtodaytotreatacutecases.

Yew(Taxusbaccata)

Allparts,exceptthefleshoftheberries,containtaxin(e)acomplexofalkaloidswhichisrapidlyabsorbed.Alsopresentareephedrine,acyanogenicglycoside(taxiphyllin)andavolatileoil.

Wherepoisoningdoesoccur,inanimalsorhumans,theremaybenosymptomsanddeathmayfollowwithinafewhoursofingestion.Ifsymptomsdooccur,theyincludetrembling,staggering,coldness,weakpulseandcollapse.

Yewisoneoftheplantswherethepoisonisnotdestroyedwhentheplantdies.Thus,branchesremovedfromayewbyhighwindsorpruningwillretaintheirpoison.

Thoughtheberriesareharmless,theseedwithinishighlytoxic.Unbrokenitwillpassthroughthebodywithoutbeingdigestedbutiftheseedischewedpoisoningcanoccurwithasfewasthreeberries.

Someyearsago,itwasfoundthatthetaxolfoundinyewcouldbeusedtoproducechemotherapytreatmentsforbreastandothercancers.Thedrugproducedinthiswayiscalledpaclitaxel.(Untilsomeonewaskindenoughtocorrectme,Iwasoneofthemanypeoplewhothoughttamoxifenwasproducedfromyew.Itisnot.Tamoxifenisasyntheticdrug.)Forsometime,largegardensmadeapointofkeepingtheiryewpruningsandpassingthesetocompaniestoextractthetaxolandproducethesedrugs.Thiswasanexpensiveprocessandproducedonlylimitedamountsofthedrug.Sincethen,however,ithasbeendiscoveredthattaxolisproducedfromafungusthatlivesintheyew.Otherfungihavealsobeenfoundthatareabletobeusedtoproducepaclitaxel.Withsome,artificiallybrewingispossibleand,oncethatprocessisscaledup,itshouldreducethecostandincreasetheavailabilityofbreastcancertreatments.

Castoroilplantseedpods(Ricinuscommunis)

AlthoughRicinuscommunisisindigenoustothesoutheasternMediterraneanBasin,EasternAfrica,andIndia,todayitiswidespreadthroughouttropicalregions.[3]Inareaswithasuitableclimate,castorestablishesitselfeasilywhereitcanbecomeaninvasiveplantandcanoftenbefoundonwasteland.

Thetoxicityofrawcastorbeansisduetothepresenceofricin.Althoughthelethal

doseinadultsisconsideredtobefourtoeightseeds,reportsofactualpoisoningare

relativelyrare.[17]Accordingtothe2007editionofGuinnessWorldRecords,thisplantisthemostpoisonousintheworld.Despitethis,suicidesinvolvingingestionof

castorbeansareunheardofincountrieslikeIndiawherecastorgrowsabundantly

ontheroadsides.Theaversiontotheuseofthebeansinsuicidecouldbeduetothe

painfulandunpleasantsymptomsofoverdosingonricin,whichcanincludenausea,

diarrhea,tachycardia,hypotensionandseizurespersistingforuptoaweek.

However,thepoisoncanbeextractedfromcastorbyconcentratingitwithafairly

complicatedprocesssimilartothatusedforextractingcyanidefromalmonds.

Ifricinisingested,symptomsmaybedelayedbyupto36hoursbutcommonly

beginwithin2–4hours.Theseincludeaburningsensationinmouthandthroat,

abdominalpain,purgingandbloodydiarrhea.Withinseveraldaysthereissevere

dehydration,adropinbloodpressureandadecreaseinurine.Unlesstreated,death

canbeexpectedtooccurwithin3–5days,howeverinmostcasesafullrecoverycan

bemade.

Peachpits(Prunuspersica)

Fruitpitscanadduptoarealrisk,however,saidDr.MargaretDietert,whoteaches

acourseinmedicinalbotany.Apricotpits,forexample,containacompoundcalled

amygdalin,thesupposedlyactiveingredientinlaetrile,thediscreditedcancerdrug,

saidDr.RodneyDietert.Amygdalinisamemberoftheclassofchemicalscalled

cyanogenicglycosides,meaningthatitcanbebrokendownintocyanide,glucose

andbenzaldehydebyanenzyme,hesaid.

Astudyofthetoxicitylevelsofpeachesandapricotsclearlyshowsthat13to15raw

peachpitkernelswouldgetyouintothelethalrangeforadults,Dr.MargaretDietert

said.

Forapricots,thetoxicityvarieswidelyinatenfoldrange,dependingonvariety,she

said..Thewildapricotishighest,andsomearequitelow,butforavarietyinthe

middleleveloftoxicity,about17to20kernelswouldgetyouintothelethalrange.

Noonehassurvivedeatingmorethan38.

Forchildren,around15percentoftheadultlevelcouldbelethal,becausetheyare

extremelysusceptible.