Are you Growing Poison

Are you Growing Poison?

 

Rosary Pea: Abrus precatorius commodity known as rosary pea, crab’s eye or jequirity is best known for its seeds, which are often used to make jewellery. In fact, these seeds are especially popular for rosary prayer beads. But the seeds of the plants contain toxins too.

            Abrin, a toxin present in the seed of the rosary pea is only dangerous when the coating is broken. If the seeds are chewed or crushed, it releases Abrin. Abrin bonds to cell membrane and prevents protein synthesis by inactivating the 26s subunit of the ribosome. It takes less than 0.00015% of the toxin to kill a human.

                                      

The Suicide Tree:  Cerbera odollam, commonly known as the suicide tree, pong pong and othalanga is a plant species native to India. The tree has beautiful white flowers and a small fruit and the plant as whole yields milky, white latex. The kernels of the plant contain cerberin, a glycoside toxin that blocks the calcium ion channels in the heart muscle. The difficulty in detecting cerberin in autopsies and the ability of strong spices to mask its taste makes it an agent of homicide and suicide.

Daffodils: daffodil is a common name for a family of plants called Narcissus used as a decoration flower. All parts of daffodils contain the alkaloids galanthamine and lycorine, which possess both emetic and sedative properties. Alkaloids affect the nervous system. Bulbs of the plant, often mistaken as onion, contain the highest concentration of lycorine. Eating the bulbs can cause intense stomach problems, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, and even death. The bulb also contains chemicals called oxalates, which are microscopic and needle-like. When swallowed, oxalates cause severe burning and irritation of the lips, tongue, and throat. They can also cause skin irritation.