Everyone should know about this! All about the most poisonous plants - those grown culturally, for medicinal purposes, wild and indoor plants, mushrooms and trees.
For example, all plants of the euphorbia, araceae, and amaryllis families have dangerous juice that causes burns on the skin, and if ingested, quite severe poisoning follows - the gastrointestinal tract, mucous membranes, and even the nervous system are damaged.
Potential indoor poisoners include such popular plants as poinsettia, dieffenbachia, monstera, philodendron, beautiful callas, and even tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils! If their juice gets on your skin, you need to immediately wash your hands, and even though you very carefully cut and formed a bouquet, you should not touch your eyes with the same hands.
In some plants, for example, nightshade or kutraceae, only some parts are poisonous, as luck would have it, the most attractive to unintelligent children (bright fruits, sometimes tubers). Therefore, you should not keep such flowers in the public domain.
However, life-threatening representatives of the flora await us almost everywhere: in the forest, in the meadow, and in the middle zone there are no less of them than in the exotic jungle. Take the same quiet hunt or collecting medicinal herbs: everywhere you need to know which mushroom or flower is best to avoid.
Also, various fly agarics are confused with champignons - not bright red ones, but panther ones or smelly ones. If the brown panther fly agaric most often does not lead to the death of an unlucky taster, then the white stinking fly agaric is almost as poisonous as the pale grebe.
The next deadly poisonous mushrooms - galerinas - are disguised as honey mushrooms. They also grow on stumps, of the same color. Only experienced mushroom pickers can tell the difference right away. Moreover, these are not false honey mushrooms: they are also poisonous, but differ in the shape of the cap.
The most insidious mushroom poisoner is called the “beautiful cobweb”. Having accidentally slipped into the basket, it is eaten and digested, but its poison is such that the symptoms of fatal poisoning appear after a couple of weeks. No one even assumes poisoning, so most often the case ends in death.
Take, for example, a plant such as aconite, also known as fighter. Tall grass with noticeable pipe flowers is completely poisonous, the leaves and roots are especially dangerous. A couple of grams of any part of aconite, ingested, can kill an adult - death occurs from respiratory arrest. Previously, aconite was deliberately used for bad purposes, for example, to poison bladed weapons with it.
Belladonna is also poisonous, as are its close relatives, datura and henbane - all of them are from the nightshade family.
We also have the famous hemlock, also known as poisonous hemlock. It is often mistaken for an edible plant like celery, as its roots have a pleasant smell and taste. Hemlock poison affects the nervous system. Cattle also suffer from hemlock if they accidentally eat it along with other grass - 200 g of roots kill a cow.
Everyone knows both wolf's bast (wolf berries) and raven's eye - most often children are poisoned by their unusual berries. There are few deaths, since the berries, to put it mildly, are much more attractive in appearance than in taste, so a large dose can only be eaten deliberately. Another danger is hogweed - its giant umbrella inflorescences are often found along roads. When hogweed juice gets on the skin or simply comes into contact with the leaves, human skin becomes extremely sensitive to ultraviolet radiation. The result is severe sunburn, even in the shade. And if you eat hogweed, then in addition to somatic signs of poisoning, even reversible mental disorders are observed.
Popular forest and wildflowers, such as buttercups and lilies of the valley, are also very poisonous. Lilies of the valley are often grown in gardens as ornamental plants, but all of their parts are poisonous, from the roots to the berries. You can even be poisoned by water in which a bouquet of lilies of the valley stood. The poison affects the activity of the heart.
But buttercups are dangerous only when fresh - when dried, the poison is destroyed, so buttercup hay is safe for animals.
Interestingly, almost all of the poisonous plants listed are widely used in medicine, as are other plants not mentioned above. For example, celandine in dermatology, hemlock in oncology and much more. The question is quantity: the wrong dosage of a medicinal plant kills. But there are also representatives of the flora that you should not even approach, let alone consume in homeopathic doses. Moreover, they look, so to speak, quite everyday. It's good that they don't grow here.
In general, you just need to stay away from manchinella. Therefore, it is often fenced off with a red marker. Remember and avoid.
But the most poisonous substance on earth is not a plant. According to the site, the most dangerous creature in this regard is the box jellyfish.
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Most people do not usually associate plants with danger, but the representatives of the flora that we will talk about today will prove that we need to take the plant world more seriously. We are not talking about poison ivy or insectivorous plants. Our review presents much more dangerous samples. Here are 9 plants that can really kill you. Stay away from them!
Outwardly, aconite looks beautiful and quite harmless, but all parts of this plant are poisonous. In ancient times, hunters rubbed it on the tips of their arrows and spears to kill wolves. This is why aconite is now often called “wolfsbane.” In 2014, gardener Nathan Greenway died after just touching it, the BBC reported. When ingested with food, aconite provokes diarrhea, vomiting and numbness of the skin.
The seeds of this plant contain ricin, an extremely dangerous and fast-acting poison. Once in the body, they cause stomach upset, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure, intense sweating, loss of consciousness, convulsions and death after a few days. Not long ago, a case was recorded where a person was poisoned by simply inhaling the smoke generated by burning castor beans.
Hemlock is very similar to wild carrot, another plant with small white flowers. However, they do have one small difference that you need to keep in mind. The wild carrot has a red flower in the center surrounded by many white ones, while the hemlock has all its flowers white. This plant is very common and extremely dangerous. If you eat hemlock, you will experience seizures and a host of other terrible symptoms of poisoning. Most likely you will die soon.
One of the old sayings says that a person who has eaten Datura is "hot as a hare; blind as a bat; dry as a bone; red as a beetroot; and mad as a hatter." Research by scientists has confirmed that there is some truth in this saying. In 2006, four Canadian teenagers ate Datura to induce hallucinations. Later, they all ended up in the hospital and behaved so aggressively that the doctors were forced to inject them with a sedative. Three had to be restricted in their ability to move because they posed a danger to themselves and the staff. Datura can also cause coma and death, according to many reports.
The name of this plant may sound funny, but if you come across it, you will be in no mood for jokes. The stinging tree is completely covered with small poisonous hairs, which, if stuck in your skin, will cause you to suffer from severe pain for many months. The treatment looks as scary as the symptoms of poisoning. You will need to treat the affected area of skin with hydrochloric acid, and then remove all the hairs using wax strips.
Reaching a height of 6 m, this plant not only looks menacing, it is actually very dangerous. Giant hogweed sap can cause rashes, blisters, scars and even loss of vision.
The berries of this plant resemble eyeballs in appearance and are extremely poisonous, especially if eaten. This is why all animals try to stay away from them, and people should do the same.
This plant is widely used in alternative medicine, despite the fact that its roots and stem are full of aristolochic acid, which can directly cause kidney failure. Experts advise avoiding any drugs containing Kirkazone to avoid this side effect.
Manchinella is found in Central America and the Caribbean islands. The name of this plant translates from Spanish as "tree of death", which is not surprising considering that you will die if you eat its apple-shaped fruits. Manchinella juice can cause blisters, and the smoke produced when it burns can lead to temporary loss of vision. In other words, any part of this plant is dangerous, so avoid it.
Over millions of years of evolution, plants have developed clever, and in some cases deadly, defenses against hungry animals. These defense mechanisms include deadly neurotoxins, sharp spines that can puncture car tires, and powerful digestive enzymes that can digest insects and small rodents.
Below is a list of the most dangerous plants in the natural world that you should not deal with. Therefore, read carefully and remember, perhaps this article will save your life.
A well-known plant that we have been accustomed to calling “night blindness” since childhood. Despite its completely harmless appearance, this plant is deadly poisonous to animals and humans if accidentally ingested. And the juice of this plant, when flowers are picked, causes temporary severe skin irritation, so it is necessary to closely monitor children in places where caustic ranunculus grows.
Strongly spread throughout Europe - real monster plants. Simply getting the juice of these large, attractive-looking umbrella plants on the skin is enough to cause long-term, non-healing burns to form on the skin under the influence of the process of photosensitization (increased sensitivity of the skin to sunlight). If the juice gets into the eyes, complete blindness can occur! It is especially dangerous to approach umbrellas in sunny weather.
Another famous plant, which is also called “wolf’s bast”. Common wolfberry grows in forests, and laurel wolfberry is used for decorative purposes. All parts of this pretty plant are very poisonous. And the red oval berries (which often attract children), if eaten just a few of them, lead to death within a few hours.
Another very poisonous plant of the umbrella family. Modern researchers are inclined to believe that it was hemlock that poisoned Socrates, who was sentenced to death by the court. Vekh is somewhat similar to edible angelica. Also, children often mistake it for a carrot; they are misled by the carrot smell of the plant and the similar sweet-tasting rhizome, which is the most poisonous part of the plant.
A deadly plant, common in China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Beautiful blue-violet flowers on a tall stem up to 70 centimeters attract the attention of uninformed travelers. But just two milligrams of the acotinine alkaloid contained in the sap of the plant shoots is enough to cause death if ingested. Therefore, it is better not to take risks and keep a distance from aconite.
It grows in South America and is a close relative of Datura. This vine looks unusually impressive, so it is sometimes bred in Europe for decorative purposes. But you need to be extremely careful with this plant - all its parts contain toxic and hallucinogenic substances - atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine. It is not for nothing that popular rumor ascribes to this plant the ability to turn people into zombies, which is used by all sorts of magicians, sorcerers and healers.
It grows in New Zealand and is some kind of monstrous version of our quite cute nettle. It grows up to four and a half meters in height, and is equipped with very long needles, upon contact with which a very dangerous neurotoxin is injected under the skin, which in any case causes a severe burn, but can also lead to more tragic consequences. There were cases where a person who merely touched this “nettle” with his hand died. Therefore, when walking, you need to remember the possibility of meeting with Ongaonga.
It grows in Japan and China, a close relative of the mango tree. Despite this relationship, it is one of the most poisonous plants on Earth. Tree resin, even just getting on the skin, causes severe, deep, non-healing burns. The tree is cultivated for its beautiful yellow wood and for its resin, which is used to make a very durable varnish.
Growing in the forests of the Amazon, everyone knows it because of its second name, curare. The sap from the bark of this tree is traditionally used by Indians for hunting - if it gets into the bloodstream, the victim stops breathing and inevitably ends up dying. At the same time, the poison does not affect the quality of meat.
Can be found in Florida and the Caribbean. The fruits of this plant and its juice are deadly to humans. And simply touching the bark of a tree causes a severe allergy, which in itself can be very dangerous.
A plant that can be purchased by almost anyone at any garden store, however, its seeds contain the deadly poison ricin. The consequences of this poison entering the human body can be very dire, even fatal. Therefore, we advise you to think carefully before planting castor beans in your garden, especially if you have small children.
This common evergreen shrub is one of the most poisonous plants in the world. The leaves, flowers and fruits contain cardiac glycosides, which are used for therapeutic purposes, but this sweet plant can just as easily become a deadly weapon that can stop your heart.
Interestingly, the most dangerous plants in the world are not necessarily some of the exotic tropical killer plants that we expect to see in a movie about the Amazon jungle or the lost worlds of Papua New Guinea. On the contrary, the plant that kills the most people in the world can be found in every second large flower garden, and it is grown on thousands of plantations around the world. Similarly, the most poisonous plant in the world, included in the Guinness Book of Records, grows throughout the southern part of Russia and Ukraine, is often cultivated specifically as an ornamental plant, and from its fruits poison is obtained (with which, by the way, some famous people were poisoned), and even medicinal raw materials.
And let us remind you once again that dangerous plants are not necessarily poisonous. They can injure and even kill not only with poisons. Look...
The stinging tree is not really a tree at all. This is a large shrub from the nettle family.
The tropical relative of our nettle, the stinging tree, is much more stinging and dangerous.
This plant grows in Australia, the Moluccas and Indonesia and is known to the aborigines for its leaves that are dangerous to humans. If the skin comes into contact with this plant, the victim receives a severe burn. Extensive blisters appear at the site of the burn.
Burns received from a stinging tree take a very long time to heal and can bother the victim from several days to several months. There is even one known case of a person dying after contact with a stinging tree.
In addition to humans, various animals periodically suffer from burns of this plant. There are quite a few cases where dogs and even horses received burns.
Interestingly, some animals, including insects and birds, are not sensitive to the sting of wood. This allows them to feed on its leaves and fruits.
Castor bean is a medicinal and ornamental plant, common in the warm climates of both hemispheres. This plant can often be found here, planted in flower beds in big cities or near fences in rural areas.
Castor oil in the private sector in Donetsk
It is from castor beans that a well-known remedy for constipation, castor oil, is made. And it is this plant that is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the most poisonous plant in the world. Its seeds contain ricin, a toxin that is six times more poisonous than the well-known potassium cyanide.
On a note
Georgy Markov, a journalist and writer, was killed in 1978 by ricin, which was revealed during the autopsy. A stranger on the street, using a special umbrella, injected the journalist with a capsule of ricin into the calf muscle, from which Georgiy died the next day, despite doctors’ attempts to save his life.
In addition to ricin, castor beans also contain another poison - ricinin.
The toxicity of this plant is so great that just ten castor bean seeds will be enough to fatally poison an adult. If ricin itself is extracted from the seeds, a lethal dose of it will fit on the head of a pin. Given that this toxin is relatively easy to obtain, it is often used by terrorists. For example, at a destroyed al-Qaeda base, a whole production site was discovered.
This amount of seeds is enough to kill an adult.
It is not surprising that castor bean confidently ranks first in many rankings of the TOP 10 most dangerous plants in the world.
Manchinella or manchinella tree is one of the most poisonous plants on Earth.
Being a representative of the Euphorbia family, this plant in all its parts contains poisonous, burning milky juice. At the same time, its fruits look and smell very appetizing to everyone, and a burning sensation in the mouth does not appear immediately, which has repeatedly led to poisoning of people.
Thus, there are several known cases when sailors who escaped death on the water encountered this plant on land and, mistaking it for edible, consumed it as food. Poisoning was not always fatal (the burning juice did not allow one to eat much), but there were also cases of death.
Manchinella fruits look quite appetizing and it is not surprising that a person who finds himself in a tropical forest for the first time is willing to taste them.
The juice of this plant is dangerous not only when taken orally: if it gets on the skin, it causes severe burns, and if it gets into the eyes, it causes severe pain and sometimes blindness.
Where manchinella grows, they try not to graze livestock. It is difficult to destroy the plant with axes and saws without protecting the skin and eyes due to its milky sap. Even burning wood can cause illness if the smoke gets into your eyes.
Belladonna is a poisonous herbaceous plant from the Solanaceae family. By the way, many representatives of this family are known for their toxicity.
The atropine contained in belladonna, even in small doses, can cause severe agitation in a person, turning into attacks of insanity and violence.
Most often, people are poisoned by the berries of this plant, which, despite their toxicity, taste very good.
This is interesting
Only recently a sad story about vegan Igor, who ate belladonna berries on the way to Ai-Petri, thundered on the Internet. Igor liked the taste of the berries, and therefore he considered them safe (one of the common misconceptions is to consider all tasty plants edible) and ate them in large quantities. The doctors were unable to save Igor.
Belladonna can be found in almost the entire temperate zone, and once you try the berries, you won’t immediately deny yourself the pleasure of eating more...
When poisoning occurs, dryness and burning in the mouth occurs, and the heartbeat increases. Sometimes poisoning is accompanied by delusions and hallucinations. In case of severe poisoning, paralysis of the respiratory center is possible, leading to death.
This plant from the melanthium family is one of the most poisonous in the world.
And if in some plants only certain parts of them are poisonous, then the crow's eye is completely poisonous: the rhizome causes nausea and vomiting, the leaves act on the central nervous system, and the fruits have a negative effect on the heart.
Most often, children are poisoned by this plant by eating its fruits - small black shiny berries up to 1 cm in diameter. Actually, this plant got its name for the characteristic appearance of the berry, “sitting” independently on a grassy shoot.
Crow's eye is a well-recognized plant, so its berries are eaten mainly by children who know nothing about its toxicity.
In case of poisoning, vomiting and diarrhea, dizziness and convulsions are observed, but the biggest danger is cardiac arrest.
Crow's eye is prohibited from being used for medicinal purposes, which is another evidence of its toxicity.
This is perhaps one of the most famous plants in the vast expanses of the former USSR. The sad glory of Sosnovsky's hogweed is associated with the burns that remain on the human body after contact with it.
It is noteworthy that hogweed juice itself does not leave burns. But it also significantly increases the skin's sensitivity to the ultraviolet and visible spectrum of solar radiation. Thus, even a short stay in the sun after contact with the plant leads to terrible burns that do not heal for a long time, the scars from which can remain on the body for more than a year.
In addition to the danger to humans, Sosnovsky's hogweed is also a malicious weed, which is very difficult to fight.
Severe burns covering more than 80% of the skin can be fatal.
Among other things, the juice of Sosnovsky's hogweed contains substances that cause a mutagenic effect. It is not surprising that in the TOP 5 dangerous plants in Russia, hogweed always occupies one of the first positions.
Many species of the umbrella family, which includes hemlock, pose a danger to humans due to their toxicity. Thus, hemlock is a relative of hemlock, which was most widely used for capital punishment in Ancient Greece. Spotted hemlock is not only one of the most dangerous in this family: this plant is one of the most poisonous in the world.
The composition of hemlock tissue includes a number of alkaloids. The most poisonous among them is horse meat, which has a nerve-paralytic effect.
When hemlock poisoning occurs, the victim will experience increased salivation, blurred vision, and may experience dizziness, vomiting, and diarrhea. However, the so-called ascending paralysis poses a danger to life: the feet are taken away and lose sensitivity, then the paralysis gradually “rises” upward until it reaches the diaphragm and causes suffocation.
On a note
According to the latest data, it was the spotted hemlock that poisoned the famous ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. There is constant debate among researchers about this; for a long time it was believed that Socrates took hemlock poison. Today, more and more evidence is emerging that the “official” poison in Ancient Greece was hemlock, and it was with its help that the philosopher was executed.
In places where there is a lot of hemlock, prolonged stay near its thickets can cause headaches only from the pollen of the flowers.
There are cases when people were poisoned by hemlock, confusing it with other plants. For example, some ate hemlock root, believing that it was horseradish root, others confused hemlock leaves with parsley leaves. There are also cases where hemlock seeds were mistaken for anise seeds. This, by the way, is also notable for hemlock and other dangerous plants from the umbrella family - they do not give the impression of being unusual at all and people do not expect that such a simple-looking “grass” can pose a threat to life. This is the insidiousness of hemlock and its relatives.
This small shrub, slightly taller than a person, is not a poisonous plant as such. Its main trump card is urushiol, an oily toxin found in this plant that causes severe allergies. Even a light touch of toxicodendron can be enough to cause a severe allergic reaction.
Due to its beautiful foliage, sumac is often grown as an ornamental plant and if no parts of it are eaten, it does not pose a danger.
However, dermatitis is not the main danger: in some cases, the allergic reaction develops so violently that anaphylactic shock may occur, followed by loss of consciousness and suffocation. Moreover, if medical assistance is not provided, death can occur within a few minutes.
Strychnos is a liana from South America. It gained fame thanks to the poison (curare) contained in the roots and stems of the plant. It is this poison that the local Indians smear on their arrowheads when going hunting, and the vine itself in this regard was a competitor to the famous poison dart frogs, whose glands secrete an even stronger toxin - batrachotoxin.
Curare contains two toxic alkaloids - strychnine and brucine. Each of these poisons causes different symptoms, but ultimately leads to the same result - death.
It is believed that death from the poisons contained in strychnos is one of the most terrible and painful.
Strychnine belongs to the first class of danger (very toxic substances) and is almost twice as toxic as potassium cyanide. When ingested, it causes severe convulsions of the entire body and respiratory paralysis, leading to death.
Brucine is slightly less toxic than strychnine. Once in the victim’s body, it causes muscle cramps, which intensify when exposed to sound and light. This alkaloid also increases the heart rate with subsequent cardiac arrest.
Agree, it would be unfair not to mention him. Yes, he doesn't kill right away. Yes, its leaves, along with nicotine, contain the alkaloid anabasine, which can lead to poisoning when eating the leaves, but it is not as toxic as the components of the plants listed above. But according to statistics, tobacco smoking leads to the death of more than 5 million people around the world. No other plant, even the most poisonous and deadly, can compare with it in its “damaging” ability. Perhaps even all the other poisonous plants taken together will not catch up with tobacco in terms of the number of people killed. And at the same time, tobacco is the record holder for cultivation area among all other cultivated plants not used for food. There is a large dose of absurdity in this: people spend enormous resources on cultivating a plant that kills them...
Interestingly, tobacco is often grown as an ornamental plant. In this form, it is completely safe as long as you do not eat or smoke it.
Tobacco plantations where people grow a killer plant...
It is important to remember that most plants are dangerous only when people, out of ignorance or stupidity, themselves are poisoned or injured by them - they eat unfamiliar berries and fruits, push apart the wide leaves of hogweed with their hands, tear hemlock leaves instead of parsley. Therefore, always before you find yourself in nature, even in an area familiar to you, find out what dangerous plants can be found here, why they are dangerous and what you absolutely cannot do with them.
Perhaps this will save your life or the lives of your children... It is difficult to imagine how many mysteries the Russian land is fraught with, and even more difficult to imagine how many dangers it is fraught with.
We will talk about the most dangerous and poisonous plants growing in Russia.
In fact, plant poison, if collected on a mass scale, could partially replace chemical and biological weapons... and even simple weapons in some cases. There are stories when dedicated people used plant poisons for inhumane, selfish purposes, for example, eliminating an enemy.
As legends say, earlier, when villages were captured by enemies, Russians fleeing to save their lives poured the juices of poisonous plants - belladonna, henbane, etc. - into barrels of wine stored in cellars.
Many herbs have healing properties, but there are those that can bring not only healing, but also death. The paradox is that almost all poisonous plants are used for the preparation of medicines along with useful ones, only the raw materials are carefully dosed.
As they say (the words of Paracelsus, the brilliant physician of all times): “Only the dose makes a substance a poison or a medicine.”
Very often, the juices and raw materials of poisonous plants are used to treat the heart, stop bleeding, and relieve pain.
Potato juice (and also juices of various vegetables, berries: sorrel, currants, beets, cucumber, cabbage, cranberries), beaten egg whites with raw milk, powder were used as antidotes (naturally for mild poisoning, and not when a person is convulsing). from dried orchis tubers, valerian root, elecampane root.
In total, about 10 thousand poisonous plants are known in the world, many of them grow in the tropics and subtropics, but on Russian soil, flowers and greens are almost always found that can, under certain conditions, cause harm to humans. It’s just that we don’t eat or pick up all the plants – this saves us from the consequences. However, when visiting the forest, especially with children, you should not forget how much danger can lurk among the grass, because it is children who often suffer from plant poisons.
Let's look at the most common poisonous plants in Russia.
In the photo the veh is poisonous
Vekh poisonous (or hemlock)
“Veh is poisonous (the spelling and pronunciation of vekh is allowed) (lat. Cicúta virósa) - a poisonous plant; species of the genus Veh of the Umbrella family, widespread in Europe.
Other names: hemlock, cat parsley, wood pig, omeg, omezhnik, water rabies, water hemlock, mutnik, dog angelica, gorigol, pig louse.”
The active toxic substance is cicutoxin. When taking hemlock juice in non-lethal doses (up to 100 grams of rhizome), symptoms of intestinal poisoning begin within a few minutes, then foam at the mouth, unsteady gait, and dizziness. When taking higher doses - convulsions leading to paralysis and death.
Hemlock can easily be confused with safer plants - this is its main danger. The taste is reminiscent of parsley, rutabaga, celery, it is sweet and cloying, which again makes hemlock harmless.
In Russia it is found in nature almost everywhere. The most common-looking plant, which is very easy to confuse with a harmless one.
Pictured is a hemlock
Hemlock spotted
“Spotted hemlock (lat. Conīum maculātum) is a biennial herbaceous plant, a species of the genus Hemlock (Conium) of the Umbrella family (Apiaceae).
In Russia it is found throughout almost the entire European part, the Caucasus, and Western Siberia.
Poisonous properties are determined by the alkaloids coniine (the most poisonous), methylkoniine, conhydrin, pseudoconhydrin, coniceine. Hemlock fruits contain up to 2% alkaloids, leaves - up to 0.1%, flowers - up to 0.24%, seeds - up to 2%.
Coniine is the most poisonous substance in hemlock; when taken in large doses, it first causes agitation and then stops breathing.
“The first symptoms of poisoning: nausea, drooling, dizziness, difficulty swallowing, speech, pale skin. Initial excitement is accompanied by convulsions and turns into depression of the central nervous system. Characteristic is ascending paralysis, starting from the lower extremities, accompanied by loss of skin sensitivity. The pupils are dilated and do not respond to light. Increasing suffocation can lead to respiratory arrest. When in contact with skin, the sap causes dermatitis.”
The antidote is considered to be milk with a solution of potassium permanganate - pink in color. To “die” hemlock, you need to eat a lot - a couple of kilograms; there are known cases of the death of starved cattle. But poisons isolated from leaves and parts of the plant can be fatal in much smaller quantities.
However, hemlock is also used as a healing plant; it is considered almost sacred for traditional healers - they treat cancer, heart problems, etc.
Externally it looks like hemlock, there are spots on the stem, which is why it is named accordingly.
In the photo there is a poisonous buttercup
Poisonous buttercup
“Poisonous buttercup (lat. Ranunculus sceleratus) is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant; species of the genus Buttercup (Ranunculus) of the Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). Very poisonous."
There are many types of buttercup, the poisonous one is similar to the safer species.
Active toxic substances: gamma-lactones (ranunculin and protoanemonin), flavonoids (kaempferol, quercetin, etc.).
There are known cases of poisoning of animals, and the milk of cows that have eaten buttercups is also poisonous.
In people, when the pulp from parts of the plant gets on damaged skin, burns appear; when it gets on the mucous membranes, it causes sharp pain and spasms of the larynx. When taken orally in small doses, hemorrhagic damage to the gastric tract occurs. With more impressive doses and constant intoxication with poisons, cardiac dysfunction, kidney damage, and vasoconstriction occur.
In the photo henbane
Henbane
“Henbane (lat. Hyoscýamus) is a genus of herbaceous plants of the Solanaceae family.”
Active toxic substances: atropine, hyoscyamine, scopolamine.
“Symptoms of poisoning (confusion, fever, rapid heartbeat, dry mouth, blurred vision, etc.) appear within 15-20 minutes.”
All parts of the plant are poisonous.
Pictured is belladonna
Belladonna
This poisonous flower got its name from the formation of two Italian words for “beautiful woman” (bella donna), since Italian women dropped the juice of the plant into their eyes to dilate their pupils and give their eyes shine.
In case of mild poisoning (occurring within 10-20 minutes), tachycardia, delirium, agitation begin, pupils dilate, and photophobia. In case of severe poisoning - convulsions, high temperature, drop in blood pressure, paralysis of the respiratory center, vascular insufficiency.
In the photo there is a raven's eye
Crow's eye four-leaf
“Crow's eye four-leafed, or Crow's eye ordinary (lat. Pāris quadrifōlia) is a species of herbaceous plants from the genus Crow's eye of the Melanthiaceae family (previously this genus was classified in the Liliaceae family). Poisonous plant."
The plant is deadly poisonous. Children often suffer, since the berry is quite beautiful and attractive to look at.
“The leaves act on the central nervous system, the fruits on the heart, the rhizomes cause vomiting. Symptoms of poisoning: abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, attacks of dizziness, convulsions, disruption of the heart until it stops. The use of the plant for medicinal purposes is prohibited."
Pictured is castor bean
Castor bean
« Castor bean (Ricinus commúnis) is an oilseed, medicinal and ornamental garden plant.” Used to decorate parks. According to sources, deaths from eating parts of the plant are rare, but castor beans are considered a very poisonous species.
The active toxic substances are ricin, ricinin.
« All parts of the plant contain the protein ricin and the alkaloid ricinin, poisonous to humans and animals (LD50 about 500 mcg). Ingestion of plant seeds causes enteritis, vomiting and colic, bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract, water-electrolyte imbalance and death after 5-7 days. The damage to health is irreparable; survivors cannot fully restore their health, which is explained by the ability of ricin to irreversibly destroy proteins in human tissue. Inhalation of ricin powder similarly affects the lungs.”
It is amazing that castor oil, which is so popular in medicine, is made from castor beans. To neutralize the poison, the raw materials are treated with hot steam.
Castor bean is considered one of the most poisonous plants in the world.
In the photo Lobel's hellebore
Lobel's hellebore
“Lobel's hellebore, or Lobeliev's hellebore (lat. Verátrum lobeliánum) is a species of plant of the genus Chemeritsa of the Melanthiaceae family. Medicinal, poisonous, insecticidal plant."
Contains toxic alkaloids: yervin, rubijervin, isorubijervin, germine, germidine, protoveratrine.
“Hereboil is a very poisonous plant, its roots contain 5-6 alkaloids, of which the most poisonous is protoveratrine, which can suppress the central nervous system and has a harmful effect on the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system.”
If the plant is consumed internally, the throat begins to burn, a severe runny nose appears, then psychomotor agitation, weakened cardiac activity, hypotension, bradycardia, shock and death (when consuming high doses of root juice), usually consciousness remains until death - at high concentrations of poison, death can coming in a couple of hours.
In the photo there is a dope
Datura common (smelly)
Toxic substances: atropine, hyoscyamine, scopolamine.
“Symptoms of poisoning: motor agitation, sharp dilation of the pupils, redness of the face and neck, hoarseness, thirst, headache. Subsequently, speech impairment, coma, hallucinations, paralysis.”
In the photo aconite
Wolfsbane, or fighter
One of the most poisonous plants. Extremely dangerous even when used externally.
The active toxic substances are aconitine, zongorin.
The taste is burning and immediately causes neurological disorders, including tachycardia, tremors of the limbs, dilated pupils, and headache. Then convulsions, clouding of consciousness, delirium, breathing problems, and if help is not provided - death.
In the photo there is a wolfberry
Wolf's bast, or wolf's berry
For a fatal outcome, according to information from medical sources, it is enough for an adult to consume 15 berries, for a child 5. Causes severe poisoning, and death if assistance is not provided.
Active toxic substances: diterpenoids: dafnetoxin, meserein; coumarins - dafnin, dafnetin.
In the photo there is a wild rosemary
Marsh rosemary
The active toxic substances are ledol, cymol, palustrol, arbutin.
Negatively affects the central nervous system.
“Symptoms: dry mouth, numbness of the tongue, speech impairment, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, general weakness, lack of coordination of movements, clouding of consciousness, increased or decreased heart rate, convulsions, agitation; after 30–120 minutes, central nervous system paralysis is possible.”
In small doses it is used as a medicine for lung diseases.
In the photo, autumn crocus
Autumn colchicum
Parts of the flower contain a deadly poison - colchicine, which acts like arsenic. The process of damage to the body can take up to several days and weeks. Even if it comes into contact with the skin, the poison causes severe burns.
“Oleander juice, taken orally, causes severe colic in humans and animals, vomiting and diarrhea, and then leads to serious problems in the functioning of the heart and central nervous system. The cardiac glycosides it contains can cause cardiac arrest. Due to the toxicity of the plant, it is not recommended to place it in children's institutions."
Dieffenbachia in the photo
Dieffenbachia
A widespread indoor plant in Russia. Mainly causes dermatitis. However, there are also known deaths from ingesting the plant juice.
Plants such as sweet clover, tansy, lily of the valley, wormwood, and sage are less toxic than, for example, aconite, but in large doses and with constant use they can cause irreversible damage to the body.
For example, lily of the valley juice affects the heart muscle, sage and wormwood contain substances that can cause psychosis, tansy is very toxic when taken in large doses. Sweet clover contains the poison coumarin, dicoumarin, which when taken in large doses prevents blood clotting and causes bleeding.
Cerberus is also grown in Russia - one of the most beautiful flowers with a jasmine aroma. True, only in a decorative form, on window sills. In hot countries, this plant is called the “suicide tree”: parts of the flower contain an extremely dangerous poison, cerberin, a glycoside that blocks the conduction of electrical impulses and disrupts the heart rhythm. Even the smoke from burning plant leaves is dangerous.
In ancient times, when there were no pistols and modern technologies, natural poisons were used with might and main to eliminate enemies. They lubricated the tips of bow arrows with the juice of poisonous plants, which guaranteed the death of the enemy, and they actively used the same aconite.
Poisonous plants actually grow everywhere in Russia. Their danger lies mainly not in the fact that they grow everywhere - after all, people don’t eat them en masse, but in the fact that they are similar to others, edible, and in the fact that many are beautiful: so, they are simply confused with useful plants, which fraught.
