Poisonous Plant plant, plant product or its derivatives which produce deleterious effects on human and other animals’ body or cause their death when taken in relatively smaller quantities. Poisonous plants, however, do not include those edible plants which are toxic in the fresh state, but lose their toxicity on being dried or cooked.
Poisonous plants have been the subject of practical lore since ancient times. Their systematic study, in terms of modern science, is often considered to have begun during the 16th century, when the Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus first studied the chemical nature of poisons. However, Indigenous Systems of Medicine in this subcontinent had studied and recorded detail accounts of poisonous plants way back in 1500 BC.
Some poisonous plant in Bangladesh 1. Local name: Kunch
Scientific name: Abrus precatorius
Poisonous parts :Seeds, roots
Poisonous effects: Abortifacient, emetic, cathartic, cattle poison.
2. Local name: Ata
Scientific name: Annona squamosa
Poisonous parts :Roots, seeds
Poisonous effects: Roots are drastic purgative, seeds are strong eye irritant.
3.Local name: Shialkanta
Scientific name: Argemone mexicana
Poisonous parts :Seeds, latex
Poisonous effects: Seeds cause severe dropsy, vomiting and diarrhoea; latex is irritant.
4.Local name: Hijal
Scientific name: Barringtonia acutangula
Poisonous parts :Fruits
Poisonous effects: Fruit causes severe vomiting
5.Local name: Akanda
Scientific name: Calotropis gigantea
Poisonous parts :Latex, leaves
Poisonous effects: Latex is violent purgative, abortifacient, infanticide, leaves are homicidal poison.
6.Local name: Bhanga
Scientific name: Canabis sativa
Poisonous parts :Latex, leaf, flower
Poisonous effects: Loose motion
7.Local name: Papaya
Scientific name: Carica papaya
Poisonous parts :Latex of young fruit
Poisonous effects: Latex is intestinal irritant, induces abortion.
8.Local name: Makal
Scientific name: Citrullus colocynthis
Poisonous parts :Fruits
Poisonous effects: Powerful hydragogue and cathartic.
9.Local name: Swarnalata
Scientific name: Cuscuta reflexa
Poisonous parts :Whole plant
Poisonous effects: Antifertility, decoction causes nausea, vomiting and abortion.
10.Local name: Dhutra
Scientific name: Datura innoxia
Poisonous parts :Seeds
Poisonous effects: Dryness of mouth, delirium, fever, convulsion
11.Local name: Dundul
Scientific name: Luffa cylindrica
Poisonous parts : Fruits
Poisonous effects: Fruit juice of wild plant, causes severe purgation.
12.Local name: Ghora Neem
Scientific name: Melia sempervirens
Poisonous parts : Fruits
Poisonous effects: Fruits produce nausea-spasm and choleric symptoms.
13.Local name: Rakta Karobi
Scientific name: Nerium indicum
Poisonous parts : All parts
Poisonous effects: Cause death on ingestion; roots cause abortion on local application.
14.Local name: Chita
Scientific name: Plumbago zeylanica
Poisonous parts : Whole plant
Poisonous effects: Extract; causes paralysis
15.Local name: Palik
Scientific name: Ranunculus scleratus
Poisonous parts : Whole plant
Poisonous effects: Highly acrid, causes violent irritation; paralysis and convulsion, slows respiration, depresses heart's action.
16.Local name: Kuchila
Scientific name: Strychnos nuxvomica
Poisonous parts : Seed
Poisonous effects: Respiratory failure, nausea, muscle twitching.
17.Local name: Tagor
Scientific name: Tabernaemontana divaricata
Poisonous parts :Fruits, seeds
Poisonous effects: Fruits are deadly poisonous; seeds are narcotic, poisonous, produce delirium.
18.Local name: Helde Karobi Antamul
Scientific name: Thevetia peruviana
Poisonous parts :Bark, seeds, latexLeaves, roots
Poisonous effects: Cause serious depression, paralysis and death. Plant juice causes vomiting, unconsciousness, death.
A particular plant acquires the poisonous property when it accumulates some special types of chemical substances like alkaloids, glycosides, toxalbumins and the like in substantial quantities in its cells. However, when used in regulated doses, most of these apparently poisonous plants may also produce beneficial therapeutic effects due to the presence of the same chemical substances. Thus it is very difficult to draw a distinct boundary between the poisonous and the medicinal plants as most of these plants qualify for both the categories for the above reasons. Some of them are, of course, drastically poisonous, ie, they cause death immediately after administration. They are often used for suicidal and homicidal purposes. Many of them are also used for criminal abortions and for other similar purposes.
An estimated 5,000 species of phanerogamous plants grow in Bangladesh, about 500 of which are regarded as medicinal plants as they possess therapeutic properties. Some of these medicinal plants (about 50) are also classified as poisonous plants as they produce toxic effects on the animal system, if they are not used carefully or in regulated amount. A number of such poisonous plants of Bangladesh are listed in the table.
However, almost all of these plants are also regarded as medicinal plants as they possess medicinal properties and therapeutic values. Indiscriminate and irresponsible use of any medicinal plant may become dangerous since all medicinal plants possess some degree of toxicity. [Abdul Ghani and Mostafa Kamal Pasha]
