Plants that kill or maim.
A 2yr old boy developed nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain after eating these berries at a Christmas party. What is the plant?
Holly is part of the Ilex genus which are often used as ornamental plants. Treatment is purely supportive.
Christmas bush.
Holly.
Flame tree.
Ivy.
This plant which is commonly seen in Australian gardens is highly toxic especially its leaves and seeds. What is it?
Brugmansia or Angels trumpets are rich in alkaloids like scopolamine. Causes diarrhoea, confusion, paralysis and convulsions. As an example reported in Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience of a young man who amputated his own penis and tongue after drinking only 1 cup of Brugmansia tea. Now that is confused!!
In 1994---114 teenagers were admitted to hospital following Brugmansia poisoning in Florida alone.
In 1994---114 teenagers were admitted to hospital following Brugmansia poisoning in Florida alone.
Satan's Saxaphones.
The Lord's cornets.
Angel's trumpets.
Christ's clarinets.
Ingesting only half of one of these mushrooms can cause death. It is found in Sydney and caused deaths following ingestion in Canberra. What is it?
Death caps (Amanita phalloides) major toxin is alpha-amantin. Widely found in Europe but also Australia in cooler areas. Initially causes nausea and vomiting then can cause hepatic and renal failure along with seizures and coma. Cooking the mushroom does not alter its toxicity.
Straw mushroom.
Fatal fungus.
Death cap.
Morbid mimic.
What is the common name of the toxic plant that I have silenced on the video? Hint--it is also known as Wolfsbane.
Aconitine opens tetrodotoxin sensitive Na channels which increases excitability and can cause ventricular dysrhythmias. In 2009 the British "Curry Killer" Lakhvir Singh killed her lover Lakhvinder Cheema with a curry dish laced with Aconite.
Oleander.
Monkshead.
Hemlock.
Blue death.
A group of teenagers used sticks from this plant to roast marshmallows. After breathing the smoke they became lightheaded and in ED were found to be profoundly bradycardic some with slow AF others with heart block. What is the plant?
Oleander is a common garden plant which, like like Digitalis and Foxglove, contain cardiac glycosides. Toxicity can be treated with Digoxin antibodies.
Oleander.
Rhus.
Kaushik bush.
Hemlock.
A toddler presents with severe pain in the mouth associated with local swelling after chewing on a leaf of this common indoor plant. What is the plant?
The leaves of the Philodendron contain raphides of oxalate which cause mechanical irritation and swelling when chewed. An occasional rare case of airway obstruction and death has been reported.
Morton's toxic fig.
Rhus.
Poinsettia.
Philodendron.
If you rub against this bush 90% of people will get a hypersensitivity reaction. What is it?
People get a delayed type iv hypersensitivity reaction. Included in this genus is Poison Ivy. Hence the old mnemonic "Leaves of 3, let them be".
Rhus tree/bush.
Holly.
Poinsettia.
Tomato plant.
A man brings his 4yr old boy to ED with the complaint of vomiting and unresponsiveness after eating this "wild carrot". What has he ingested?
Hemlock contains nicotinic alkaloids and so causes a nicotinic toxidrome. Ancient Greece used it to kill condemned prisioners, the most famous being Socrates. If you are interested in learning more just google "Platos observation of Socrates death by Hemlock".
Ricin.
Wolvesbane.
Parsley.
Hemlock.
These are known as "death cherries" and cause a classic anticolinergic syndrome. What is its common name
It is Deadly night shade (Atropa belladonna) and as you see from the name has Atropine like effects. So blind as a bat, dry as a bone, mad as a hatter, red as a beet, hot as a hare. Bella Donna---beautiful woman-- is because women used to put drops prepared from the plant to dilate their pupils to make them appear more attractive. Mind you they couldn't accommodate, so walking down stairs would have been messy.
Deadly day killer.
Deadly night shade.
Deadly evening shade.
Deadly morning killer.
The Guinness Book of World Records has this plant as the most poisonous in the world. The berries have a protective covering but it is the toxin of the seed that has been linked to killings. What is the plant?
It contains Ricin a toxalbumin that interferes with ribosome function--sounds serious.
Interestingly about 4 seeds are likely to kill you if ingested. However ducks have incredible resistance to the seeds. It needs about 80 to kill them. Go ducks!!
Interestingly about 4 seeds are likely to kill you if ingested. However ducks have incredible resistance to the seeds. It needs about 80 to kill them. Go ducks!!
Foxglove.
Ricinus Communus (Castor oil plant).
Soy bean.
Olive tree.
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