A few commonly grown plants are highly poisonous, and many plants are moderately poisonous (see table Moderately Poisonous Plants ). Few plant poisonings have specific antidotes. Most plant ingestions, including the plants listed in the aforementioned table, result in minimal symptoms unless the leaves and other components are concentrated into a paste or brewed into a tea.
Highly toxic and potentially fatal plants include the following:
Castor beans and jequirity beans
Oleander and foxglove
Hemlock
(See also General Principles of Poisoning General Principles of Poisoning Poisoning is contact with a substance that results in toxicity. Symptoms vary, but certain common syndromes may suggest particular classes of poisons. Diagnosis is primarily clinical, but for... read more .)
Castor beans and jequirity beans
Castor beans contain ricin, an extremely concentrated cellular poison. Jequirity beans contain abrin, a related and even more potent toxin. In both, the beans have a relatively impervious shell; thus, the bean must be chewed to release the toxin. However, the seed coating of the jequirity bean is often not intact, and simple bacterial digestion can release the abrin toxin.
Symptoms of either poisoning may include delayed gastroenteritis, sometimes severe and hemorrhagic, followed by delirium, seizures, coma, and death. Whole-bowel irrigation Whole-bowel irrigation Poisoning is contact with a substance that results in toxicity. Symptoms vary, but certain common syndromes may suggest particular classes of poisons. Diagnosis is primarily clinical, but for... read more should be considered because it aims to remove all beans ingested.
Oleander and foxglove
These plants and lily of the valley (which is similar but less toxic) contain digitalis glycosides. Foxglove was the original source of the drug digitalis. Toxicity includes gastroenteritis, confusion, hyperkalemia, and arrhythmias. The serum digoxin level can confirm ingestion but is not useful as quantitative information.
Potassium levels are closely monitored. Hyperkalemia Hyperkalemia Hyperkalemia is a serum potassium concentration > 5.5 mEq/L (> 5.5 mmol/L), usually resulting from decreased renal potassium excretion or abnormal movement of potassium out of cells. There... read more may respond only to hemodialysis Hemodialysis In hemodialysis, a patient’s blood is pumped into a dialyzer containing 2 fluid compartments configured as bundles of hollow fiber capillary tubes or as parallel, sandwiched sheets of semipermeable... read more . Calcium is not recommended for arrhythmias Overview of Arrhythmias The normal heart beats in a regular, coordinated way because electrical impulses generated and spread by myocytes with unique electrical properties trigger a sequence of organized myocardial... read more 
. Digoxin-specific fractionated antibody (Fab) fragments have been used to treat ventricular arrhythmias.
Hemlock
Hemlock poisoning (poison hemlock and water hemlock) can cause symptoms within 15 minutes.
Poison hemlock has effects on the nicotinic cholinergic receptor, beginning with dry mouth and progressing to tachycardia, tremors, diaphoresis, mydriasis, seizures, and muscle paresis. Rhabdomyolysis Rhabdomyolysis Rhabdomyolysis is a clinical syndrome involving the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue. Symptoms and signs include muscle weakness, myalgias, and reddish-brown urine, although this triad is... read more and bradycardia may occur.
Water hemlock seems to enhance gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) activity. Symptoms may include gastroenteritis Overview of Gastroenteritis Gastroenteritis is inflammation of the lining of the stomach and small and large intestines. Most cases are infectious, although gastroenteritis may occur after ingestion of drugs and chemical... read more , delirium, refractory seizures, and coma.
Drugs Mentioned In This Article
| Drug Name | Select Trade |
|---|---|
digoxin |
Digitek , Lanoxicaps, Lanoxin, Lanoxin Pediatric |
