Lecture 3: Poisonous Vascular Plants Flashcards
What part of monkshood is poisonous?
all! but especially roots and tubers
what is the poison of monkshood?
rapid-acting alkaliod aconitine
What are symptoms of monkshood poisoning?
tingling and numbness of the muscles, a staggaring gait, a crawling sensation on the skin, nausea, vomiting, laboured breathing, and an irregular pulse
what happened concerning monkshood in ancient greece?
infirm men on the Aegean island of ceos were condemned to drink an infusion of monkshood
what was the closely related Himalayan monkshood known in India as Bikh or nabee used for?
to poison well water in a n effort to stop advancing armies
When was monkshood used medicinally?
1800s and 1900s
What was a tincture of monkshood used for?
to diminish the pulse and to releice the poain associated with neuralgia, pleursy and aneurisms
where were related species of Aconitum used medicinally?
China and India
What family is monkshood a member of?
the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae
what family if poison hemlock a member of?
Carrot, Apiaceae family
who chose to be executed by drinking an infusion of poison hemlock?
ancient greek philosopher Socrates
who mentions properties of poison hemlock in his plays?
shakespeare
What are the active poisons in poison hemlock?
pyridine alkaloids including coniine and related compounds
what does coniine do?
stimulates and then paralyses the nicotinic receptors of the central nervous system.
what occurs in large doses of coniine?
acts as a powerful depressant causing neuromuscular blockage, paralysis, and a dangerous lowering of blood pressure. Death may result from collapse of the cardiovascular system.
what family does the water hemlock belong to?
carrot, Apiaceae
It includes three poisonous herbaceous sp. C. virosa (native to Europe), c. maculata (native to North America), and D. douglasii (native to the pacific north America
what is the poison of water hemlock?
Acetylenic alcohol known as cicutoxin
where do the highest concentration of cicutoxin of water hemlock occur/
taproot - which looks like a parsnip
why do most cases of water hemlock occur?
purposeful ingestion of “wild parsnips”
What is cicutoxin and what does it act on ?
its is a powerful convulsant and acts on the central nervous system
what are the symptoms of water hemlock poisoning and when do they occur?
30 min following ingestion - include vomiting and convulsions, severe seizures, periodic cessation of breathing, and at high doses death
what is castor oil used for?
as a laxative - but consumption of the whole seed or anything but the oil is fatal
what is the toxic principle of the castor bean?
ricin - an extremely poisonous lectin
what is a lectin
plant glycoprotiens with actions resembling those of a specific antibody e.g. agglutination and precipitation
why are lectins not true antibodies?
because they do not require an anitgenic stimulus
what does ricin cause?
it is rapidly absourbed by the gastrointestinal tract and causes agglutination and hemolysis of red blood cells. It causes severe haemorrhaging, gastrointestinal swelling, kidney degeneration and death
where does ricin rank on the federal bureau fo investication list of toxic subtances?
3rd, after plutonium and botulism toxin
ricin compared to cyanide and rattlesnake venom..
6000X more toxic than cyanid and 12000X more toxic than rattle snake venom
how much ricin can kill half a million people?
130 g
how much ricin killed georgi markoce in 1978
250 µg
what is the rosary pea traditionally used for?
beading, including traditional caltholic rosaries
what is the principal toxin in rosary pea?
abrin - a lectin simialr in structure and mode of action to ricin
It is more biologically toxic than ricin but less dangerous because it is absorbed much more slowly
Anti-terrorism experts have expressed concern …
that palnt lectins could be used as biological weapons; they can be administered as powders, mists, or pellets and can be dissolved in water
