What a wonderful presentation, Anand ji. 2009/1/1 Anand Kumar Bhatt <[email protected]>
> I have writtten a short article on Poisonous Plants Of India. Hope you like > it. I am attaching some photographs as well, in this and next mail. > akbhatt > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > *Some Poisonous Plants of India* > > > > During childhood days, one heard stories about sadhus who were in the habit > of taking dhatura seeds which were considered poisonous. One also read about > vishkanyas in ficion and about poison arrows in fact and fiction. The story > about vishkanyas is fascinating, and so is that of poisons in which arrow > darts were slaked, both in the tribal societies and among more civilized > people. But let us first take something more in our vicinity: poisonous > plants. There are several species which are poisonous or injurious to human > body in some way or the other. And you can find them in your garden or > planted by the Forest department as a roadside tree with or without the > knowledge about their effects on human body system. > > > > Poisoning can be by contact (causing skin irritation), ingestion (causing > internal poisoning), absorption (by the skin) and inhalation (in the > respiratory system). > > Some surfing on the net told me startling facts. Some plants which we > consider harmless are actually not so. And many which are used in some > way or the other in medicines (especially in homeopathic pharmacology), in > raw from are certainly not so benign. > > > > > > Let us start with Bakain, which is a sister to our famous neem tree, known > in English as chinaberry or scientifically as Melia azedarach. (Neem is > Azadirachta indica). All pats of Bakain tree are dangerous if eaten. Leaves > are used as insect repellents in stored grains and we arre suitably > warned that when those cereals are eaten, care should be taken to remove all > Bakain leaves from it. This tree can be often found in our country > either on the roadside, or in large gardens, and one should be aware of its > deathly qualities. Although its fruit is poison to humans, birds gorge on > it, and reach a level of 'intoxication'. > > > > Oleander (Nerium oleander) Is another garden plant and all parts of the > plant are poisonous. Its wood if used to cook food can poison it by the > fumes. This bush has attractive flowers: pink, yellow or white (tubular) or > double pink flowers. One can find it all over the country. My first posting > was as Sub-divisional Officer in Jashpur, a large subdivision of Raigarh > district and connected by rail to the district headquarters 213 kms. away. > It was a small erstwhile state, with majority of tribals in the area, and > therefore not having richness which could give it the opulence of Jaipur, > Indore or Gwalior. Well, duiring the state time there was an English Diwan > who had planted double pink oleander all through the road from Jashpur to > Raigarh in his area. It was the border of Kasabel development block. There > is another plant called Pangi (pangium edule) found in South East Asia where > all parts of the plant are poisonous especially the fruit. > > > > In Castor oil plant (Ricinus communis), all parts of the plant are > poisonous to eat. > > The next is Lantana (Lantana camara) where all parts are poisonous if > eaten and can be fatal.It can also create dermatitis in some. > > > > Renghis or rengas tree or marking nut (Gluta) causes dermatitis similar to > poison ivy and poison oak (discussed later). > > > > Lantana, castor oil plant, oleander and marking nut tree are endemic to > India. > > The other plant worth mentioning in this regard is Rosary pea (Abrus > precatorious) which is a vine, and has beautiful black and red seeds. It > is most dangerous and one seed is enough to kill an adult. This is found in > India sporadically. It is known as ghumchi or ratti. Its seeds are > surprisingly unvarying in weight and were used by goldsmiths in our country > to weigh gold. One seed was equal to one ratti. One tola is 11.66 gm. 1 Tola > is 12 Masha, and 1 Masha is 8 ratti. So one ratti is about 120mg. Whereas > one carat is 200 mg.In Hindu gemology, especially related to astrology, > ratti and carat are considered and treated almost synonymously. I vaguely > remember that in my nana's village, he had planted a lot of henna tres along > the boundary of his homestead, and one of them had this creeper whose seed > pods dried and opened showing the red and black gems inside. I also remember > that as a child of 3-4 years I climbed the bush (not much of mountaineering > I assure!) and plucked those seeds. But nobody told me then or later about > its toxic properties, for obvious reasons if anybody knew. > > > > Another plant I could mention is Strychnine tree (Nux Vomica). Berries > contain the seed which yield strychnine. Al parts of the plant are > poisonous, This is a native of tropics and non-tropics of South East > Asia and Australia. > > > > Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and poison oak (Toxicodendron > diversibba) cause serious contact dermatitis. Poison sumac (Toxicodendron > vemix) has similar effect. All parts of the plant can cause serious > dermatitis at all times of the year. This plant is native to wet, acid > swamps of North America. > > > > Renglas tree or the marking nut (which was used by our washermen to mark > the clothes wih distinctive mark of the owner so that their clothes are not > mixed up. lt has flowers similar to poison oak and poison ivy and causes > dermatitis. This plant is native to India, and East and South-east Asia. > > > > Trumpet vine (campsis radicans) causes dermatitis. It is found throughout > eastern and central North America in wet woods and thickets. > > > > Once I went on short course to Nainital, a nice and cosy hill station in > Uttarakhand. The blanket in the guest house there gave a strong dermatitis, > with itching sensation and urge to scratch for 30-40 seconds, in the calf > region. Any kind of dermatitis is not something to be talked about, and so I > kept mum thinking that in a few days when I went back to Delhi, I would > consult a physician. At the end of the course, when we were going by bus to > Delhi, one fellow participant very coolly announced that now he was going to > scratch, and he did. Later I came to know that about half a dozen trainees > were thus afflicted which resulted from the room boys sunning the blankets > on the lawn. Why I mention this is that only those who have had this can > appreciate how violent the itching sensation can become in some kinds of > dermatitis. I don't remember now, but I think the Nainital itching subsided > after a few days on its own. Or may be I used calamine on the advice of the > physician. Althoough I haven't done it ever (I was considered a studious > type) but in stories one heard of leaves which was put on teacher's chair > folloed by the violent reaction. > > > > I cannot resist the temptation of mentioning a few of more deadly plants. > Death camas or death lily (Zigedenus species )has onion-like plant, but it > does not have onion smell. All parts of the plant are very pisonous. It is a > native of US (North and East), and American Western subarctic. > > > > Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) is native to Eurasia and is extrememly > poisonous. Easy to confuse with carrot or Queen's lace. At another place > the writer has said that that it can be mistaken for fennel, wild carrot or > parsley, The habitat is swamp, streambank and wet meadow. > > > > Water hemlock (Cicuta maculata) is also a deadly poison. Small amount may > cause death. This is again a native of US and Canada and grows in swamps,wet > meadows,stream banks and ditches. > > > > In Cowage (Mucuna pruritum) contact with pods and flowers causes irritation > and blindness if it is in the eyes. All parts of the plant are poisonous > if eaten, and can be fatal. > > > > The Manchineel (Hippomane mancinella) is extremely toxic. It can cause > serious dermatitis even after ½ hour. It is a native of Florida and > Caribbean. > > > > Physic nut (Jatropha curcas) has yellow apple-sized seeds which are > violently purgative. All parts of the plant are poisonous. This is found > throughout the tropics and south USA.This Jatropha is looks like the same > species that is being developed as a bio-fuel. > > > > Among some other popular Indian plants, the famous Raat ki Rani(cestrum > nocturnum) is poisonous, ncluding its white berry. Dhatura (Dhatura > metel)contains highly toxic alkaloids, the main being scopolamine. This > hallucinogen is present in highest concentration in leaves and seeds. Often > it is mixed with food articles for robbing innocent passengers. This plant > and its intoxicant properties have been known in India since prehistoric > times. Shiva is associated with its flower and seeds. Madar or kanak > (calotropis gigantean and C. procera) is considered by many to be poisonous, > however its milky juice, flowers, rootbark and leaves are used in medicine. > It also attracts butterflies, and I don't think that it has poisonous > qualities. The flowers are of two colours: purple and white. White is rarer, > and its roots are used to carve icons of Ganesh. > > > > You saw above how some poisonous plants resemble plants that are used by > men for eating and otherwise, and so one has to be very particular in > choosing what to eat if the plant is not known to him. Good old days when > I had some land in a village and my father used to stay there, I remember > that with a minor millet there used to be some poisonous grass which was > impossible to separate from the grain plant whether in the beginning or at > the time of harvesting. So sometimes when the person ate that poison grain > along with that the cooked real grain, he used to sleep and sleep. He > could get up only in the late afternoon. This was a known phenomenon and > nobody bothered if somebody was thus affected. There is another pulse > closely resembling tuar which is known as Khesari, and if it is eaten in > the form of a loaf made out of its flour, it brings an affliction known as > lathyrism with twisted swollen knees. This low grade pulse is used, > hopefully not extensively, to adulterate tuar. Argemone seeed has been > used to adulterate mustard oil because of its close resemblance to the > mustard seed. There was a havoc in Delhi a few years ago because of such > adulteration. The use of such adulterated oil in cooking brings lethal > dropsy. > > . > > > > We live in dangerous times and dangerous world. Dangerous times as the > world has become smaller and any plant seed can land up anywhere. See the > nuisance parthenium (gajar ghas which some people jokingly called > congress grass!) has created when it came with Mexican wheat seeds (its > flower causes skin irritation). Moreover, it has become a weed. > > > > I think I have revealed enough to make you worried at least for the night > for you and your family. Next time we shall deal with something more > fictional and less nearer to you (vishkanyas and arrow poisons!). Good > night. > > -- > Anand Kumar Bhatt > A-59, B.S.F.Colony, Airport Road > Gwalior. 474 005. > Tele: 0751-247 2233. Mobile 0 94253 09780. > > > > -- With regards, J.M.Garg "We often ignore the beauty around us" Creating Awareness about Indian Flora & Fauna: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1 For learning about our trees & plants, please visit/ join Google e-group (Indiantreepix) http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix?hl=en --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "indiantreepix" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
