Organic Plant Irritant Poisons: Symptoms, Treatment & Effects

What Is Organic Plant Irritant Poisoning?

As the name defines organic plant irritant poisoning, it happens when an individual comes into contact with certain plants that contain compounds known to cause irritation. These compounds can cause various symptoms, including skin irritation, allergic reactions, and respiratory issues. Common plants that may cause this type of poisoning include poison ivy, poison oak, and certain types of nettles. 

Ricinus Communis

Also known as Castor plant or Arandi

• Fatal dose: 10 seeds
• The entire plant is poisonous.
• Main toxalbumin: Ricin
• Mechanism of action of toxalbumin: Inhibits RNA polymerase
• Overall effect: Protein synthesis inhibition
• Toxalbumin Definition: Just like a bacterial toxin that causes RBC agglutination
• Potency: 6000 times > Cyanide poison.
• Signs and symptoms
  • Burning pain
  • Abdominal pain
  • Bloody diarrhea

• Biological warfare: Category B
• Small shiny seeds with yellow or white marking

Croton Tiglium

Also known as Jamalgota or Napala

• Fatal dose: 5 seeds
• Active principle: Crotin
• The entire plant is poisonous.
• Signs and symptoms
  • Burning pain
  • Abdominal pain
  • Bloody and intense diarrhea
  • Strong purgative

Also read: Animal Irritant Poison 

Abrus Precatorius

• Most important active principle: Abrin, Abralin, and abralic acid
• Abrin is like viper venom.
• Also known as  Ratti, Gunja, Gunchi, Rosary Bead, Jequirity, and Indian Liquor rice

• Red seed with black tip
• It is an animal poison.
• Arrow poison
• Signs and symptoms
  • Local necrosis of Abrin
  • Systemic manifestation
• A needle or sui is prepared from crushed seeds, which are used to throw at cattle. It is considered ideal cattle poison.
• The size of the needle or sui is around 15 mm.
• Fatal dose: Around 1-2 seeds
• Treatment: Gastric Lavage
• Injection: Anti-Abrin
• Dissection of either sui or needle

Semecarpus Anacardium

• Heart shape seed
• Also known as Marking Nut, Bhilwa plant.

• Active principles: Semicarpol and Bhilawanol
• Pericarp irritant juice turns black or brown when in contact with air, which is pro-inflammatory.
• Used for
  • Making artificial bruises.
  • Causes the formation of painful blisters on the skin.
  • Marking on clothes
• Fatal dose: 5-10g
• Orally - GI symptoms

Also read: NEET PG 2025: High-Yield Topics For Forensic Medicine & Toxicology 

Calotropis Gigantea / Procera / Rubber Bush

• Active principle: Calotropin, Calotoxin, Calactin, Gigantean, Uscharin
• Also known as Akdo or Madar
• 2 species of Calotropis
  • Calotropis Gigantea - Purple color flower
  • Calotropis Procera - White color flower
• Calotropis is AKA rubber bush.
• Artificial poison
• Artificial bruise
• Cattle poison
• Can cause conjunctivitis, which can be used as a malingering.
• Dilated pupil.
• Convulsion

Capsicum Annuum - Chilli

• Also known as Mirchi
• Active principle: Capsaicin
• Odor and taste: Pungent
• Seeds resemble Datura.
• Cross section of seed gives a figure of 6 appearance
• Painful contact dermatitis (known as Hunan Hand)
• Used for torture and robbery.
• Can cause conjunctivitis.

Also read: Overview of Key Child Health Initiative Programs in India 

Deliriant Poison

Poison that causes delirium

• Cannabis
• Cocaine
• Datura

1. Datura/Devil's Trumpet

• If it is a white flower plant, it is Datura Alba. If it is a purple, dark-colored flower, it is Datura Niger. Datura Stramonium, also known as Jimson's weed, is also known as thorn apple.

• The entire plant is poisonous.
• Active principle: Hyoscine (Scopolamine), Truth serum drug, which is used in narcotics analysis, Hyoscyamine, Atropine
• 1 fruit almost contains 100 seeds.
• Fatal dose is 100-125 seeds.
• Used as a roadside poison or railway poison.
• There is no criminal responsibility for a person who has been given Datura because his actions are involuntary intoxication.
• 328 IPC: Hurt with poison with criminal intention.
• Maximum punishment is up to 10 years.
• Anticholinergic

Signs and Symptoms

• Dryness in skin and mouth
• Dysphagia: difficulty swallowing
• Dilated pupil (very earliest symptom)
• Drunken Gait
• Dysarthria: slurred speech
• Muttering Delirium
• Drowsiness
• Death
• Carphologia: It feels like it is a kind of hallucination, imaginary threads, and pill-rolling movement.

Feature

• Blind as a bat
• Hot as a hare
• Dry as a bone
• Red as a beet
• Mad as a hen

What is a Cornpicker's Pupil?

Unilateral mydriasis. If you stay on a farm and datura pollen goes to your eyes

Mydriatic test

• Not used now
• Using the urine of the patient and putting it in the eyes of a rabbit that causes mydriasis.

Treatment

• Stomach wash and activated charcoal.
• Physostigmine is the antidote choice for datura used to counteract the anticholinergic action.
• Short-acting barbiturates to control delirium.

Also read: Understanding Health Indicators: Importance & Types 

2. Cannabis

• Species
  • Cannabis Indica
  • Cannabis Sativa
• Most common illicit drug abuse.
• It is illegal (planting, carrying, etc.).
• It comes under the NDPS Act.
• Active Principle: 9 Tetrahydrocannabinol
• More potent: Leaves and flowers
• Male and female plants are separate.
• Street names of cannabis: marijuana, weed, hemp, grass, rope, hash.

Bhang/Siddhi or Sabji

• It is legal.
• Prepared from dried leaves of the cannabis plant.
• Active principle is <15%
• Sweet product of Bhang is majoon (Bhang+Honey+ any edible oil like ghee)

Ganja

• Active principle is about 15-20%
• Flowering top of the female plant
• Reefer/Joint cigarette.
• Hukka. A combination of ganja with tobacco

Charas

• Also known as Hashish
• It is a resin of the plant.
• Active principle is about 25-40%
• Oil of it is known as Hash oil (the active principle is 70 to 90%)
• More potent: Hash oil > Charas

Fatal Dose

• 2g for Charas
• 8g for Ganja
• 10g for Bhang
• Sinsemilla
  • Not a preparation of India
  • Unpollinated or Seedless dried flower of female plant

Effects of Cannabis

Causes euphoria which is excessive happiness

Psychiatric problems: Euphoria, hallucination, increased self-confidence,

Chronic Effects of Cannabis

• Cannabis causes degeneration of the CNS.
• Chronic cannabis poisoning
  • Hashish insanity: Hallucinations, Auditory, Visual, Delusion of persecution
• Run amok: A person goes into depression, and then there is a homicidal tendency and then depression leading to suicidal tendencies.
• 84 IPC: Unsound mind where you are not liable for the crime.
• Amotivational syndrome: Frustrated, lack of confidence
• Flashback phenomena: Most commonly seen in LSD. (Re-experience of past experience)
• Intermittent vomiting: Hyperemesis Syndrome
• KORO
  • In males: Penis shrink in size.
  • In females, breasts shrink in size.

Also read: Road Traffic Accidents : Causes, Injuries 

3. Cocaine

• Also known as Snow/White Lady/she
• Other names: Coke, Crack
• Prepared from cocca leaves.
• The plant is known as Erythroxylum cocca.
• It causes vasoconstriction.
• It has an alkaloid.
• Salt of cocaine is in powder form, which is known as cocaine hydrochloride, which is taken as an injection.
• Crack is smoked. It is cocaine + baking soda.
• Cocaine Route
  • Snorting
  • Smoking
  • IV
  • Oral route
• Mechanism of action: inhibits the synaptic reuptake of epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin.
• All these substances will increase synaptic cleft.
• This will cause sympathomimetic oxidrome.

Sympathomimetic Toxidrome Complications

• cardiac arrhythmia 
• Myocardial Infarction
• Intracerebral brain stroke
• Crack fever
• Respiratory rate increases

Chronic Cocaine Abuse

• Also known as Cocainism, Cocainomania or Cocainophagia
• Tolerance for high doses
• Rush (When excited) and crash (when depressed)
• Triad of cocaine abuse
  • Nasal / Palatal perforation
  • Black tongue and teeth
  • Gangrene of periphery (Nose tip, ear lobule)
• Cocaine bugs are also known as Magnan symptoms or formication.
  • This is tactile hallucination. It seems like insects, mice, or rats are crawling on skin.

Treatment

• Antidote: Amyl nitrite to control heart rate and BP
• Supportive and Symptomatic treatment
• Fatal dose: Around 1 g.

Also read: Prolactinoma Complete Overview 

Important points to remember

• The smell of cannabis is the burnt rope smell.
• Diazepam is used to treat cannabis
• Crack house: Place where the crack is sold.
• Shooting the gallery: Place where heroine is sold.
• Speed ball: Cocaine + Heroine
• 1 fruit of datura can kill 4-5 people

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