W O R L D S M O S T P O I S O N O U S P L A N T S
WORLDS MOST POISONOUS PLANTS
Castor Bean
Castor oil – for anyone unlucky enough to have been force spoon fed this healthy yet disgusting fluid as a child, you may be surprised to learn that an ingredient in the castor bean just happens to be the deadliest plant poison on earth
Just one tiny castor bean is enough to kill an adult within a few minutes.
Castor oil is made safe ( but not palatable ) with the removable of the lethal compound known as ricin.
Rosary Pea
The rosary pea may sound sweet and downright pious, but it’s actually one of the most dangerous plants on earth. Its seeds contain a particular lectin known as abrin.
if chewed and swallowed, death will follow shortly.
Angel’s trumpet
is a highly effective hallucinogen, but should not be consumed for recreational purposes as it can also be lethal.
This common plant also goes by many other names, including jimson weed, stink weed, loco weed, and devil’s snare.
Water hemlock
water hemlock or poison parsnip is “the most violently toxic plant in North America”. The flowers and stems are safe, but the stalky roots contain chambers that are full of a deadly sap containing the convulsant cicutoxin.
Grand mal seizures are followed by a quick death if even a tiny amount is consumed.
Oleander
It is also tremendously popular as a decorative shrub. Just one leaf can kill an adult, and fatal poisonings have resulted from minimal exposure to the twigs, blooms and berries.
The plant contains numerous toxins, including nerioside, oleandroside, saponins, and cardiac glycosides.
Once ingested, oleander goes to work simultaneously on the nervous system, the cardiovascular system, and the digestive tract.
Nightshade
Also known as the devil’s cherry , black cherry , great morel and belladonna , the nightshade is toxic from tip to top. Containing atropine, a deadly alkaloid, those who ingest even a small amount of the plant will soon notice they have lost their voice.
Respiratory trouble and convulsions follow.
English Yew
The English Yew, or taxus baccata (“ taxus ” meaning toxin ) , is one of the deadliest trees on the planet.
The evergreen has a majestic and lush appearance and is fairly common in forests of Europe.
All parts – save for the flesh of the berries – are extremely poisonous. Because the toxin causes convulsions and paralysis, The yew’s primary toxin is taxine, a cardiac depressant.
The yew acts rapidly and there is no antidote.
