Forwarding for ID Distributed as Croton tiglium ? <https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/species/a---l/e/euphorbiaceae/croton/croton-tiglium-1> Group discussion at Croton Tree? (google.com) <https://groups.google.com/g/indiantreepix/c/EGQQ8eNatoo>
On Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at 10:34:27 AM UTC+5:30 tanaybose15 wrote: > Dear Kiran Ji, > This link will hopefully help you a bit!! > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croton_oil > Regards > Tanay > > On Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 10:14 AM, kiran srivastava <srivastava.jo@ > gmail.com> wrote: > >> Whilst reading "Kublai Khan" I came across something interesting that the >> author, John Man wrote about the *Croton Tree which grows in Indian and >> Indonesia*. He writes that '..the oil of its seeds blisters the skin >> and, if swallowed, inflames the stomach and produces instant diarrhoea'. >> Which species is he referring to please? >> >> The above-mentioned oil was only part of the ingredients that the Chinese >> used in making, what the author calls, 'shit-and-beetle-bomb'. They mixed 7 >> kgs of powdered human excrement + 400gms root of *Aconite *+ 200gms >> Croton oil + 40gms white arsenic + 100gms beetles of the genus *Mylabris >> *(Blister Beetle) with gunpowder and used this lethal bomb on its >> enemies. These bombs were made in/around 1257 so this apparently was a >> precurser to chemical and germ warfare used centuries later as we have >> read: tear gas and chlorine by the Germans (actually, started by the >> French) in World War I, and Agent Orange (A defoliant) used by the >> Americans in Vietnam. >> >> The Blister Beetle, as we all know, secretes *Cantharidin,* a poisonous >> chemical that causes blistering of the skin. These are very large >> black-and-red beetles that we so often photograph on flowers. Incidentally, >> they have a penchant for yellow flowers. >> >> Cheers, >> Kiran Srivastava >> Mumbai >> >> > -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "efloraofindia" 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.com/group/indiantreepix?hl=en. >> > > > > -- > Tanay Bose > +91(033) 25550676 <+91%2033%202555%200676> (Resi) > 9830439691(Mobile) > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/indiantreepix/61b97020-d800-4d1e-8edd-93227458903cn%40googlegroups.com.
