Currently, acute poisoning by poisonous plants is a common type of food intoxication. Among the 300 thousand plant species growing on the globe, more than 700 can cause severe poisoning.

There are actually poisonous plants, which contain chemicals that are toxic to humans, and non-poisonous cultivated plants, poisoning of which is possible due to changes in their chemical composition or their contamination with fungi during improper storage, as, for example, happens with grain or potatoes that have overwintered in the field.

The active toxic principle of poisonous plants are various chemical compounds, which relate mainly to alkaloids, glycosides, plant soaps (saponins), acids (hydrocyanic, oxalic acids), resins, hydrocarbons, etc.

Alkaloids are complex organic compounds containing carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen. Their salts are soluble in water and are quickly absorbed in the stomach and intestines.

Glycosides easily break down into the carbohydrate (sugar) part and several other toxic substances.

The poisonous properties of some plants have been known to people since ancient times. It is interesting that even today a formidable and unquestioning killer can grow in a flowerbed not far from a person.

African tribes, Australian aborigines and American Indians used the juice of found poisonous plants in hunting, smearing arrow tips with poison in order to quickly immobilize the victim or even kill on the spot with just a light scratch. Of course, poison quickly began to be used in civil strife: it is always wiser to immobilize a dangerous enemy a few meters away than to get involved in an open battle. That's why poisons were given so much attention in the culture of Japanese ninjas - masters of espionage and quick, silent methods of execution.

The most used and common plant poisons are alkaloids. They are strong enough to cause death or at least severe consequences. Among the most famous and dangerous plant sources of this poison are the well-known belladonna, hemlock, and aconite. In Russia you can find crow's eye, and if we talk about seemingly innocent plants, then the common buttercup, mysterious angel's trumpets, giant hogweed, cunning daffodil and many others stand out here.

The effect of poisonous plants on the body can be either internal (poisoning with paralysis and death in severe cases) or external (a burn that can develop into tissue necrosis). In some cases, the negative effects may not be felt until long after exposure, up to several months.

Good poison known in South America curare extracted from the bark of strychnos, which grows off the coast of the Amazon. When it enters the bloodstream, curare causes instant paralysis, but does not cause poisoning when it enters the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, people actively use this poison in hunting, without fear of poisoning when eating the meat they hunt.

In summer flower beds you can often find aconite(wrestler, wolfroot or wolfslayer). This plant is also dangerous when eaten, causing severe complications including cardiac arrest. The plant was used in Ancient Greece to execute criminals. According to Greek legend, aconite was formed from the poisonous saliva of Cerberus during the battle with Hercules.

Another “flower from the flowerbed” - buttercup- looks innocent and certainly not menacing, unlike the angry aconite. However, this is one of the most common deadly plants, often underestimated and therefore especially dangerous. Buttercup toxin causes a rash, and eating the flower most often leads to organ intoxication and a “short-circuit” of the nervous system.

Giant hogweed, unlike its small brother, can cause really severe damage to the skin even from simple contact, which can lead to tissue necrosis and even complete death. A plant with a beautiful appearance and name angel trumpets releases several strong toxins at once, exerting an unusual hypnotic effect on a person, which became the basis for myths about turning people into zombies.

Finally, another well-known and common plant called hemlock(konium or vekh) has spread across many countries, being widely found in Russia. When hemlock juice enters the stomach, it causes paralysis of the nervous system, initially manifesting itself under the guise of poisoning. This plant was often used as a poison in palace and political intrigues.

Plant poisons in small doses are often used as medicine. The great European physician of the Renaissance, Paracelsus, once formulated one of the most important pharmacological rules, which has not lost its meaning to this day: " Everything is poison, it's all a matter of dosage. Only quantity makes any substance poisonous or non-poisonous".

Let's make a short summary:

when contacting them, extreme caution must be taken, especially if we grow them in our garden or in the house;

they have long ceased to be the bogeyman that they were for centuries, if not millennia, for superstitious, poorly educated people;

they live next to us, many of them are amazingly beautiful;

people have learned to use their properties for healing and - what a paradox! - to save lives.

In conclusion, all that remains is to quote from the poems of the great Persian-Tajik poet of antiquity Rudaki (858-941), who lived in the 10th century, who wrote:

"What is called a drug today will become poison tomorrow. So what? The sick will again consider poison a medicine..."

Food poisoning not associated with a bacterial infection is much less common in medical practice. Their causes are more diverse, so diagnosing them is extremely difficult.

ANIMAL POISONS

Poisonous products of animal origin include a number of shellfish, fish and the endocrine glands of livestock. Some fish species are poisonous all the time, while others become so only during the spawning period. Ordinary fish, suitable for consumption, most often become poisonous due to external reasons.

Currently, about 300 species of poisonous fish are known to science, most of which live in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Caribbean Sea. The most poisonous fish that live in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Russia, are considered to be fugue fish and pufferfish. Their blood, liver, milk and caviar are poisonous.

The neurotropic poison of fugu, tetraodotoxin, affects the respiratory muscles. In the absence of help, peripheral paralysis is accompanied by paresis of the walls of blood vessels and, as a consequence, a sharp drop in blood pressure. At the same time, complete depression of the respiratory centers and, as a rule, death occurs.

Among freshwater fish there are also poisonous species, for example marinka, which lives in freshwater bodies of Central Asia. Its meat is edible; only the milt, caviar and black peritoneum are poisonous, therefore, freshly caught and immediately gutted, it is quite edible. The venom of the marinka, like the venom of the fugue, is neurotropic, causing paralysis of the peripheral and respiratory muscles, as well as headache. In case of poisoning, death due to asphyxia is possible. However, special processing can neutralize marinka meat so much that it can be eaten.

PLANT POISONS

Most poisonings of plant products are caused by poisonous mushrooms and are usually observed seasonally: in spring or autumn.

Death cap

The most dangerous and insidious of poisonous mushrooms is considered to be the toadstool. Poisoning with it usually occurs in the autumn. Some varieties of this lamellar mushroom resemble champignons, others resemble honey mushrooms or russula. However, unlike them, the poisonous grebe has a vulva - vagina - at the base of its legs, and its plates always remain white, while in the champignon they turn brown or pinkish as they grow.

There are so many varieties of toadstool that even a specialist sometimes cannot distinguish it from edible mushrooms. Poisoning with it leads to a large number of deaths. It is known that the poison of one pale grebe can lead to the death of 5-6 people.

The main active ingredient of the toadstool is amanitatoxin, a very strong destructive poison. The second poison of this mushroom, amaditagemolysin, is destroyed at 70 ° C or under the influence of digestive juices. Therefore, its effect is often hidden behind the action of a more powerful amanitatoxin.

A few hours after the fungus enters the gastrointestinal tract, the first signs of poisoning appear: vomiting, anuria, diarrhea (or constipation) and acute abdominal pain. In some cases, the symptoms of toadstool poisoning resemble those of cholera. Then the patient develops cyanosis, general weakness, and occasionally jaundice and a decrease in body temperature. Before death, a coma occurs, and in children, convulsions occur. As symptoms develop, a neuropsychic disorder is often observed, accompanied by agitation, delirium and loss of consciousness. A urine test detects blood and protein.

fly agaric

Fly agaric poisoning is much less common than poisoning with toadstool. This is due to the fact that it is very different from other mushrooms, and people are very well aware of its poisonous properties. Fly agaric also contains a fairly strong poison called muscarine, which has the property of stimulating the endings of the vagus nerve. Because of this, victims experience increased activity of the secretory glands - sweat, salivary, lacrimal, etc. Then spasms appear, causing vomiting and constriction of the pupils. After this, the pulse becomes weak, breathing becomes rapid and labored, confusion, dizziness, and often delirium and hallucinations appear. The toxicity of fly agaric depends on many reasons: growing conditions, weather, etc. The lethal dose of muscarine is extremely small - only about 0.01 g.

Stitches

Among the mushrooms that appear in early spring, the cause of poisoning can be lines similar to edible morels. Their main difference can be seen in the section of the mushroom: in the former, the cellular structure of the pulp is visible, while in the latter it is homogeneous. The pulp of the stitches contains helvella acid, a poison that causes hemolysis. In mild cases of poisoning, 1–8 hours after the fungus enters the digestive tract, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting with bile and general weakness appear. In severe cases, these symptoms are accompanied by jaundice, convulsions, headache, delirium and loss of consciousness, indicating a poor prognosis.

Helvelic acid can be neutralized by boiling mushrooms in boiling water for 10 minutes. After this they become practically harmless. However, it must be remembered that none of the mushroom poisons can be detected in laboratory tests. To correctly diagnose poisoning, a special examination of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract is necessary to detect fungal particles.

Hydrocyanic acid

Poisoning with stone fruit kernels - peaches, cherries, apricots and bitter almonds - is less common than poisoning with mushrooms. The kernels contain amygdalin glucoside, which, under the influence of digestive enzymes, breaks down into benzoaldehyde, glucose and hydrocyanic acid. The latter is the cause of such poisonings. Often the painful condition does not depend on the amount of grains eaten.

Lethal outcome can occur from even 40 pieces of apricot kernels, although a lethal dose is considered to be the number of peeled grains that fits in half a faceted glass.

In severe cases, the clinical picture of stone fruit poisoning, in addition to vomiting, nausea and diarrhea, includes the rapid development of cyanosis of the mucous membranes and skin of the face, shortness of breath, as well as tonic and clonic convulsions. Death occurs due to paralysis of the respiratory center. Death can occur not only after eating fresh stone fruit kernels, but also when consuming compotes and liqueurs prepared from them and stored for a long time.

Belladonna, Datura, Henbane

Cases of poisoning by datura, henbane and belladonna in practice are not as rare as we would like. The active ingredients of these plants are the poisons hyocyamine, scopolamine and atropine, which cause heart paralysis. Moreover, at first these poisons have a stimulating effect on the nervous system, and then paralyze it. Poisoning usually develops after eating the berries of these plants.

Symptoms are recorded within 10–20 minutes after the poison enters the gastrointestinal tract. First, the patient experiences severe agitation, anxiety and confusion, often accompanied by delirium and frightening hallucinations. Then the vessels of the face, neck and chest dilate, the pulse quickens, and the bladder becomes paralyzed. After this, a coma develops and breathing stops due to paralysis of the respiratory center. For children, the lethal dose is only 4-5 belladonna berries.

Cicuta

Hemlock (water hemlock) poisoning occurs when its roots are eaten. It grows along the banks of ponds and in damp wetlands. Its fleshy rhizome is sweetish in taste and externally resembles some edible root vegetables. The main distinctive feature of the hemlock rhizome is the presence of cavities in the cut.

Its poison, cicutotoxin, is found in all parts of the plant. Like strychnine, it belongs to the so-called convulsive poisons. Cicutotoxin stimulates the vagus nerve and reflex spinal functions. When poison enters the gastrointestinal tract, vomiting, cyanosis, general agitation, salivation with foam formation, and severe convulsions develop. Death occurs due to paralysis of the nerve centers.

Aconite

Poisoning with aconite mainly occurs in the areas where it grows - in the Caucasus, where this plant of the buttercup family is quite common. The cause of poisoning is most often the inept handling of its decoctions or infusions, which are used in folk medicine as a remedy for joint pain.

The active substance of aconite, the alkaloid aconitine, is found in all parts of plants and is extremely poisonous: the lethal dose for an adult is only 0.003–0.004 g. This poison is often used in the fight against rodents and large predators, and also as an insecticide. Aconitine belongs to the group of poisons that cause heart paralysis. Once in the digestive tract, it first excites the nervous system and then paralyzes it.

The picture of poisoning develops quite quickly: within 2–4 hours. First, characteristic tingling sensations appear in the throat, tongue, stomach and esophagus, then skin itching and salivation develop. Soon the first is replaced by numbness, and breathing and pulse, initially rapid, turn into bradycardia and shortness of breath. The patient's consciousness is usually preserved, and convulsions are also observed very rarely.

Hemlock spotted

The rhizome of this plant resembles horseradish, and the leaves resemble parsley. The active ingredient in hemlock is the alkaloid coniine, which causes paralysis of the motor nerves. The clinical picture of poisoning is characterized by paralysis of the legs; with large doses of poison, death occurs due to paralysis of the respiratory centers. The course of poisoning is rapid: no more than 1–2 hours; the lethal dose for an adult is 0.5–1 g of pure coniine.

Plant products

Not only the plants listed above can be poisonous, but also common food products, such as potatoes. During the winter, if stored improperly, sprouts appear on the potatoes, and the glucoside solanine accumulates in the tubers themselves. Tubers that are green in color are also high in solanine. When stored correctly, the solanine content in potatoes should not exceed 0.001%, otherwise people who eat it may develop symptoms of acute poisoning. The picture of poisoning is expressed in a burning tongue, bitterness in the mouth, nausea and diarrhea, but no deaths are observed.

Products of plant origin can acquire toxic properties under the influence of a fungal infection, most often affecting cereals. Poisoning with such products is called mycotoxicosis (ergotism and aleukia), which develops as a result of eating cereals affected by ergot. The admixture of the latter with benign flour makes the bread poisonous.

Ergot poisoning occurs in two forms: gangrenous and convulsive. The latter is characterized by general gastrointestinal symptoms and changes in the central nervous system - general agitation, convulsions and mental disorders. In severe cases of poisoning, tetanus is possible. The gangrenous form is characterized by necrosis of the ears, fingers, and tip of the nose, accompanied by sharp pain.

The occurrence of nutritional-toxic aleukia is associated with the consumption of grain that has overwintered under the snow. Over the winter it overgrows with fungi and causes poisoning reminiscent of sepsis. In this case, hyperthermia, sore throat and other symptoms characteristic of necrotizing tonsillitis are observed. However, the true symptom of aleukia is damage to the hematopoietic organs, which can result in death.

More than 10 thousand species are known in the world flora poisonous plants mainly in the tropics and subtropics, there are many of them in countries of temperate and cold climates; There are about 400 species in the Russian Federation.
Poisonous plants found among mushrooms, horsetails, club mosses, ferns, gymnosperms And angiosperms. In temperate countries, they are most widely represented in the families of Ranunculaceae, Poppyaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Lastovaceae, Cutraaceae, Solanaceae, Norichaceae, and Aroidaceae. Many plant poisons in small doses - valuable therapeutic agents (morphine, strychnine, atropine, physostigmine, etc.).
Main active ingredients poisonous plants - alkaloids, glycosides (including saponins), essential oils, organic acids, etc. They are usually found in all parts of plants, but often in unequal quantities, and with the general toxicity of the whole plant, some parts are more toxic than others. For example, the rhizome of the poisonous vecha, species of aconite, hellebore is especially poisonous, the flowers are especially poisonous in potatoes, the fruits are in hemlock, the seeds are in sophora, cockle, heliotrope, and the leaves are in foxgloves. Some plant poisons accumulate and are formed in only one plant organ (for example, the glycoside amygdalin - in the seeds of bitter almonds, cherries, plums). It happens that some parts poisonous plants non-poisonous (for example, potato tubers, yew seeds, poppy seeds). The content of toxic substances in plants depends on the growing conditions and phase of plant development. Usually, poisonous plants, growing in the South, accumulate more active substances than those growing in the North. Some plants are more toxic before flowering, others during flowering, and others during fruiting. Most plants are poisonous fresh. When dried, boiled, or ensiled, toxicity can decrease, and sometimes is completely lost. However, most poisonous plants toxicity persists even after processing, so their admixture in forage is often a source of severe poisoning of farm animals (when ensiling grasses with an admixture of hellebore alkaloids from the latter they are leached, impregnate the silage mass and make it poisonous). Animals, as a rule, do not eat poisonous plants, however, when there is no food and in the spring after a long period of stalling, they greedily eat fresh greens, including poisonous plants(poisoning of animals transported to areas where they meet unfamiliar poisonous plants).
Plants that are absolutely poisonous apparently do not exist in nature. For example, belladonna and dope are poisonous to humans, but harmless to rodents, chickens, thrushes and other birds, sea onion, poisonous to rodents, is harmless to other animals, pyrethrum is poisonous to insects, but harmless to vertebrates, etc.
Usually poisoning poisonous plants occurs when plants enter through the mouth, respiratory organs (by inhaling dust particles poisonous plants or volatile substances released by them), as well as through the skin as a result of contact with poisonous plants, their juices. Poisoning of people through the respiratory tract is usually classified as occupational; observed among hop pickers, carpenters when working with certain types of wood (for example, euonymus wood), people dealing with medicines, plants (for example, belladonna, securinega, lemongrass, etc.). Household poisonings from volatile substances emitted are less common. poisonous plants. Large bouquets of magnolias, lilies, bird cherry, poppy, tuberoses can cause malaise, dizziness, and headache. Poisoning of children by seductive-looking animals is common. poisonous fruits. Poisoning after eating poisonous plants may appear within a few minutes, for example, after eating yew needles, in other cases - after several days or even weeks. Some poisonous plants(for example, ephedra) can be poisonous only with prolonged use, since their active principles in the body are not destroyed or eliminated, but accumulate. Majority poisonous plants simultaneously affect various organs, but some organ or center is usually more affected.
According to the effect on the animal body, they are distinguished poisonous plants, causing damage to: the central nervous system (species of aconite, colchicum, henbane, hemlock, anemone, vekha, etc.), heart (species of lily of the valley, foxglove, cucumber, etc.), liver (species of heliotrope, godson, lupine, etc.) , at the same time the respiratory and digestive organs (field mustard, leftwort, trichodesma hoary), etc.
In the prevention of human poisoning by poisonous plants, public health education is important; animals - destruction poisonous plants on pastures. Many plant poisons in small (so-called therapeutic) doses are used as medicines(for example, cardiac glycosides derived from foxgloves and lily of the valley, atropine - from henbane).Of some poisonous plants receive insecticides (for example, pyrethrum - 113 Dalmatian chamomile).
When alkaloids escaped from laboratories and clinics, the world entered a period of mysterious murders and suicides. Plant poisons left no traces. The French prosecutor de Brohe made a desperate speech in 1823: “We should warn murderers: do not use arsenic and other metal poisons. They leave traces. Use plant poisons! Poison your fathers, your mothers, poison your relatives - and the inheritance will be yours. Don't be afraid of anything! You won't have to bear punishment for this. There is no crime because it cannot be established."
Even in the middle of the 19th century, doctors could not say with certainty what dose of morphine is lethal, what symptoms accompany poisoning plant poisons. Orfilla himself, after several years of unsuccessful research, was forced to admit defeat to them in 1847.
But less than four years later, Jean Stae, a professor of chemistry at the Brussels Military School, found a solution to the problem. The insight that made him famous came to the professor while investigating a murder committed with the help of nicotine. This alkaloid isolated from tobacco leaves and by that time they already knew well. Just a few tens of milligrams of nicotine are enough for a person to die in a matter of minutes. The victim of the crime that Jean Stae was investigating received a dose much higher than the lethal one, but the criminal, frightened, tried to hide the traces of poisoning with wine vinegar. This accident helped discover the extraction method alkaloids from body tissues. The fact is that almost everything plant poisons soluble in water and alcohol. Jean Stae treated the material under study with an acidified alcohol solution, filtered the mixture, neutralized the acid with ammonia and, after extraction with ether, isolated nicotine in its purest form. The criminal was exposed.
However, only half the job was done, because those isolated by Stas’s method alkaloids needed to be identified. The search for quality reactions began. The reagents of Mecke, Marquis, Frede, Mandelen, Pellargi and others appeared. Only morphine could be identified using a dozen reactions.
Alkaloids were first identified by comparing their melting points and crystal shapes to standard samples. Later, spectroscopic methods and X-ray diffraction analysis arrived. But finally plant poisons capitulated to chromatographic methods.
The advantages of these methods include not only the amazing ability to separate complex multicomponent mixtures, but also the ease of quantitative determination of each of the components, even if they are contained in minute quantities. Doping control among athletes quite clearly illustrates the capabilities of modern methods of analysis. Prohibited stimulants are found even in those athletes who took them only during training.
So the problem today is not the difficulty of detecting toxins and stimulants. These difficulties are now completely surmountable; success is guaranteed with the full power of modern instrumental methods of analysis.

1. Botulinum toxin

Many poisons can be lethal in small doses, so it is quite difficult to single out the most dangerous one. However, many experts agree that botulinum toxin, which is used in Botox injections to smooth out wrinkles, is the strongest.

Botulism is a serious paralyzing disease caused by botulinum toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This poison causes damage to the nervous system, respiratory arrest and death in terrible agony.

Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, double vision, facial weakness, speech impediments, difficulty swallowing, and others. The bacterium can enter the body through food (usually poorly canned foods) and through open wounds.

2. Poison ricin

Ricin is a natural poison that is obtained from the castor beans of the castor bean plant. A few grains are enough to kill an adult. Ricin kills cells in the human body, preventing it from producing the proteins it needs, resulting in organ failure. A person can become poisoned by ricin through inhalation or ingestion.

If inhaled, symptoms of poisoning usually appear within 8 hours of exposure and include difficulty breathing, fever, cough, nausea, sweating and chest tightness.

If ingested, symptoms appear in less than 6 hours and include nausea and diarrhea (possibly bloody), low blood pressure, hallucinations and seizures. Death can occur within 36-72 hours.

3. Sarin gas

Sarin is one of the most dangerous and deadly nerve gases, hundreds of times more toxic than cyanide. Sarin was originally produced as a pesticide, but the clear, odorless gas soon became a powerful chemical weapon.

A person can be poisoned by sarin gas by inhaling or exposing the gas to the eyes and skin. Initial symptoms may include a runny nose and chest tightness, difficulty breathing and nausea.

Then the person loses control over all functions of his body and falls into a coma, convulsions and spasms occur until suffocation occurs.

4. Tetrodotoxin

This deadly poison is contained in the organs of fish of the genus pufferfish, from which the famous Japanese delicacy “fugu” is prepared. Tetrodotoxin persists in the skin, liver, intestines and other organs, even after the fish has been cooked.

This toxin causes paralysis, seizures, mental breakdown and other symptoms. Death occurs within 6 hours after ingestion of the poison.

Every year, several people are known to die painful deaths from tetrodotoxin poisoning after eating fugu.

5. Potassium cyanide

Potassium cyanide is one of the fastest killing poisons known to mankind. It may be in the form of crystals and a colorless gas with a "bitter almond" odor. Cyanide can be found in some foods and plants. It is found in cigarettes and is used to make plastic, photographs, extract gold from ore, and kill unwanted insects.

Cyanide has been used since ancient times, and in the modern world it has been a method of capital punishment. Poisoning can occur through inhalation, ingestion and even touching, causing symptoms such as seizures, respiratory failure and, in severe cases, death, which can occur within minutes. It kills by binding to iron in blood cells, making them unable to carry oxygen.

6. Mercury and mercury poisoning

There are three forms of mercury that can be potentially hazardous: elemental, inorganic and organic. Elemental mercury, which is found in mercury thermometers, old fillings and fluorescent light bulbs, is non-toxic if exposed, but can be fatal if inhaled.

Inhaling mercury vapor (the metal quickly turns into a gas at room temperature) affects the lungs and brain, shutting down the central nervous system.

Inorganic mercury, which is used to make batteries, can be fatal if ingested and cause kidney damage and other symptoms. Organic mercury found in fish and seafood is usually hazardous over long-term exposure. Symptoms of poisoning may include memory loss, blindness, seizures and others.

7. Strychnine and strychnine poisoning

Strychnine is an odorless, white, bitter crystalline powder that can be acquired by ingestion, inhalation, solution, and intravenous injection.

It is obtained from the seeds of the chilibuha tree (Strychnos nux-vomica), native to India and southeast Asia. Although it is often used as a pesticide, it can also be found in drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

The degree of strychnine poisoning depends on the amount and route of entry into the body, but a small amount of this poison is enough to cause a serious condition. Symptoms of poisoning include muscle spasms, respiratory failure and even cause brain death within 30 minutes of exposure.

8. Arsenic and arsenic poisoning

Arsenic, which is the 33rd element in the periodic table, has been synonymous with poison since ancient times. It was often used as a poison of choice in political assassinations, as arsenic poisoning resembled the symptoms of cholera.

Arsenic is considered a heavy metal with properties similar to those of lead and mercury. In high concentrations, it can lead to symptoms of poisoning such as abdominal pain, seizures, coma and death. In small amounts, it can contribute to a number of diseases, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

9. Poison curare

Curare is a mixture of various South American plants that were used for poison arrows. Curare has been used for medicinal purposes in a highly diluted form. The main poison is an alkaloid, which causes paralysis and death, as well as strychnine and hemlock. However, after respiratory paralysis occurs, the heart may continue to beat.

Death from curare is slow and painful as the victim remains conscious but unable to move or speak. However, if artificial respiration is applied before the poison settles, the person can be saved. Amazon tribes used curare to hunt animals, but the poisoned animal meat was not dangerous to those who consumed it.

10. Batrachotoxin

Fortunately, the chances of encountering this poison are very small. Batrachotoxin, found in the skin of tiny dart frogs, is one of the most potent neutrotoxins in the world.

Frogs themselves do not produce poison; it is accumulated from the foods they consume, mainly small bugs. The most dangerous levels of poison were found in a species of dire frog that lives in Colombia.

One specimen contains enough batrachotoxin to kill two dozen people or several elephants. The poison attacks the nerves, especially around the heart, making breathing difficult and quickly leading to death.

Plant poisons

MONSKING, or WRESTLER. Belongs to the genus of herbaceous perennial plants of the ranunculaceae family. It was first used for medical purposes in the 18th century by the Austrian physician Sterk. Today, aconite is used in homeopathy for pneumonia, fever and other pathological conditions. The plant is poisonous. If poisoning is noticed in a timely manner, the patient should be given an emetic. Symptoms of poisoning are pain and burning in the mouth and tongue, increased sweating, frequent urge to urinate, tachycardia, dilated pupils, darkening of the eyes, headache, nausea. As intoxication progresses, vomiting, stomach cramps, convulsions and delirium appear, then respiratory arrest occurs. If help is not provided in a timely manner, poisoning ends in death. The toxic effect of the plant is associated with the alkaloid it contains, aconitine, which causes convulsions and respiratory arrest.

BELLADONNA, or BELLADONNA. Plant of the nightshade family. In the past, women would put belladonna in their eyes to make them shine and dilate their pupils. In medicine, belladonna is used as an antispasmodic. The leaves of the plant are used as the starting product for making medicine. Preparations based on belladonna prevent the stimulating effect of acetylcholine (a substance involved in the transmission of nervous excitation in the central nervous system, the endings of parasympathetic and motor nerves, autonomic nodes), reduce the secretion of the salivary, lacrimal, sweat and bronchial glands. Taking such medications reduces the tone of the muscles of the gastrointestinal tract and gallbladder ducts, dilates the pupils, prevents the outflow of intraocular fluid, and increases intraocular pressure. Preparations based on belladonna are prescribed for gastric and duodenal ulcers, cholelithiasis, bradycardia, hemorrhoids and other diseases. Such drugs are contraindicated in case of hypersensitivity to their components, glaucoma, prostate hypertrophy. Taking drugs based on belladonna may be accompanied by psychomotor agitation, photophobia, intestinal atony, rapid heartbeat, urinary retention, and dry mouth. With mild belladonna poisoning, difficulty breathing and speech, tachycardia, hoarseness, dilated pupils, visual hallucinations, and delirium are observed. Severe poisoning is accompanied by convulsions, a sharp increase in body temperature, shortness of breath, cyanosis of the mucous membranes, and a sharp decrease in blood pressure. Death occurs as a result of paralysis of the respiratory center and vascular insufficiency.

BLACK HEBREW (MAD GRASS, RAB). Plant of the nightshade family. The leaves and seeds of the plant are used in pharmaceuticals to treat cramps, toothache, and cough. Alkaloids contained in henbane have an antispasmodic effect on smooth muscles, increase intraocular pressure, promote pupil dilation, cause paralysis of accommodation and tachycardia, and affect the central nervous system. In combination with mandrake, belladonna and datura, henbane is used as an analgesic with a psychoactive effect, manifested in euphoria and visual hallucinations. Even small doses of henbane are toxic. The plant is especially dangerous for children, who may be attracted by its bright appearance. Therefore, henbane is destroyed in populated areas. Symptoms of henbane poisoning include dilated pupils, dry mouth, hoarseness, rapid heartbeat, extreme thirst, and headache. In case of untimely first aid, the victim develops a coma.

DEATH CAP. A mushroom from the genus of fly agarics, the most poisonous mushrooms. It contains the alkaloids phalloidin, phallin and amanitin. The lethal dose of amanitin is 0.1 mg/kg. Mushroom pickers may confuse toadstool with edible mushrooms, such as champignons and green russula. Poisoning is possible if you mistakenly eat a poisonous mushroom. Heat treatment does not reduce the toxic properties of toadstool. For poisoning, it is enough to eat 25–30 g of mushroom. Characteristic signs of poisoning are convulsions and jaw clenching. A few hours after the onset of intoxication, the patient experiences vomiting, intestinal colic, muscle pain, severe thirst, and diarrhea (sometimes mixed with blood). An enlarged liver is also possible. The pulse gradually weakens and becomes thread-like. Death occurs as a result of acute hepatitis and heart failure. The danger of poisoning with toadstool is that the symptoms of intoxication do not appear immediately. The first signs may appear within 6–24 hours as vital organs are damaged.

SPECKED HEMMON, or SPOTTED HELMIC. A perennial plant of the Umbelliferae family with an unpleasant odor. Externally, it resembles wild carrots, since both plants have a taproot. The plant is poisonous. All its parts contain the alkaloid coniine, which paralyzes the respiratory muscles. In medicine, hemlock is used as an external remedy. When poisoned by the plant, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea appear, the pupils dilate, the limbs become cold and immobilized, and breathing becomes difficult. First aid for poisoning is gastric lavage and a salt laxative. Particular attention should be paid to breathing and, if necessary, artificial respiration should be performed. Diuretics are indicated to quickly remove poison from the body. In toxic doses, the plant causes paralysis. In ancient times it was used as a nerve poison.

HEMP. Plant of the hemp family. It contains narcotic substances - cannabinoids - and is used as a starting material for the preparation of marijuana and hashish. The largest part of the narcotic substances is found in the resin released from the flowers of female plants. Resin is necessary to retain moisture and protect the flower from high temperatures during the propagation period. The production and sale of drugs containing cannabis is prohibited in most countries of the world. The use of drugs containing cannabis leads to depression of the central nervous system. First, nervous excitement, tinnitus, dilated pupils, a state of euphoria, laughter, and visual hallucinations are observed. The second phase of poisoning is characterized by a depressed mood, turning into long and deep sleep with a decrease in body temperature and a slower pulse. If cannabis is taken orally, the patient is given a gastric lavage; if there is increased nervous excitement, an injection of a 2.5% solution of aminazine is given intramuscularly. Cannabinoids relieve symptoms of AIDS and advanced cancer. The last months of life of such patients are accompanied by severe pain, loss of appetite and exhaustion. Cannabinoids increase appetite and relieve pain, so their use in this category of patients may be beneficial.

FALSE OPINION, or FALSE OPINION. Belongs to a group of poisonous mushrooms similar to honey mushrooms. The cap of false mushrooms is convex, with a bump in the center, yellowish in color, the flesh is light yellow. The mushroom has a bitter taste. It grows, as a rule, on the stumps of deciduous trees or next to them, sometimes on the trunks of living trees. False honey fungus can be found from late June to September. From August to mid-October, another type of false honey fungus grows more often - with a brick-red cap. The most dangerous representative of the group is the false honey fungus. All of these mushrooms cause irritation of the digestive tract, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Poisoning with false honey mushrooms in most cases occurs in a mild form. It must be taken into account that poisoning can also occur when edible mushrooms are consumed. The reason is improper cooking. Some mushrooms can only be pickled; they cannot be eaten boiled or fried. Another reason for poisoning with edible mushrooms is the consumption of old specimens in which decomposition processes have already begun. The poisonous effect of false mushrooms is associated with the content of the poisons phalloidin and maniin in them.

OPIUM (HYPOTICS) MAC. Herbaceous plant of the poppy family. It grows in China, India, Afghanistan, Asia Minor and Central Asia. From the unripe capsules of the plant, opium is obtained, which is used to make medical and narcotic drugs. Poppy seeds are used to make technical oil and are also added to baked goods. The narcotic substance, made from seeds and other parts of the poppy, is highly toxic. Its constant use leads to the formation of persistent drug addiction. As a result of opium use, irreversible changes occur in the central nervous system. Poppy seeds contain glycosides that cause visual and auditory hallucinations or deep sleep. An overdose of the drug is fatal. This type of drug addiction is difficult to treat.

HYDROGENIC ACID, or HYDROGEN CYANIDE. Colorless liquid with the smell of bitter almonds. It is obtained from fruit seeds (peaches, apricots, plums, etc.), as well as chemically. Hydrocyanic acid is a highly toxic substance. When it enters the body, it causes tissue hypoxia. When inhaling vapors of a highly concentrated substance, a scratching sensation in the throat, headache, chest pain, nausea, and vomiting occur. As the symptoms of poisoning increase, the pulse rate decreases, convulsions begin, loss of coordination and then consciousness occurs. Ingestion of poison causes clonic-toxic convulsions, instant loss of consciousness, and paralysis of the respiratory center. Death usually occurs within a few minutes. For hydrocyanic acid poisoning, 2 groups of antidotes are used. The first group of substances, interacting with hydrocyanic acid, forms non-toxic products. It includes drugs such as colloidal sulfur, polythionates, aldehydes, ketones, etc. The second group of antidotes promotes the formation of methemoglobin in the blood. This includes methylene blue, salts and esters of nitrous acid.

CHICUTA (POISONOUS VEKH, CAT PARISH, MUTNIK). A poisonous plant common in Europe. It has a pleasant smell, reminiscent of carrots. The largest amount of toxic substances is contained in the rhizomes of the plant. 100–200 g of rhizomes is enough to kill a cow, 50 g is fatal to a sheep. The seeds and rhizomes of the poisonous plant are used to prepare hemlock oil (cicutol). The root resin contains cicutoxin. If it is taken orally, headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and foam at the mouth occur. The victim's pupils dilate and epileptic seizures begin, which can result in paralysis or death. First aid for poisoning is gastric lavage with an activated carbon solution. In folk medicine, ointments and tinctures are made from hemlock rhizomes to treat rheumatism, gout and some skin diseases. The plant is also used in homeopathy. Hemlock is considered the most powerful plant poison. Its rhizome is most poisonous in late autumn and early spring. The plant retains its toxic properties even when exposed to high temperatures and during long-term storage. The largest percentage of cases of animal poisoning by hemlock occurs in the spring.

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