Numerous pharmacologically-active substances are produced by plants and many pharmaceutical agents and recreational drugs are of plant origin. Serious human poisoning from plant exposures is however extremely rare.
Exposure to toxic plants may occur unintentionally when they are mistakenly identified as edible plants or when young children ingest parts of plants, usually berries or seeds. Intentional exposure to toxic plants occurs with recreational or medicinal intent or, less commonly, as an attempt at deliberate self-harm. It often involves the ingestion of teas made from the plant. Non-intentional cutaneous and ocular exposures may also cause symptoms.
Assessment of plant exposures is difficult even when the plant is positively identified because it is virtually impossible to quantify dose; there is enormous variation in toxin concentrations between species, plant part, location and season.
References
- Challoner KR, McCarron MM. Castor bean intoxication. Annals of Emergency Medicine 1990; 19:1177-1183.
- Chan TY. Aconite poisoning. Clinical Toxicology 2009; 47(4):279-285.
- Eddleston M, Ariaratnam CA, Sjostrom L et al. Acute yellow oleander (Thevetia peruviana) poisoning: cardiac arrhythmias, electrolyte disturbances, and serum cardiac glycoside concentrations on presentation to hospital. Heart 2000; 83:301-306.
- Eddleston M, Rajapakse S, Rajakanthan et al. Anti-digoxin Fab fragments in cardiotoxicity induced by ingestion of yellow oleander: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2000; 355:967-972.
- Froberg B, Ibrahim D, Furbee RB. Plant poisoning. Emergency Clinics of North America 2007; 25:375-433.
- Rajapakse S. Management of yellow oleander poisoning. Clinical Toxicology 2009; 47(3):206-12.
- Schep LJ, Slaughter RJ, Beasley DM. Nicotinic plant poisoning. Clinical Toxicology 2009; 47(8):771-781.
- Suchard JR, Wallace KL, Gerkin RD. Acute cyanide toxicity caused by apricot kernel ingestion. Annals of Emergency Medicine 1998; 32:742-744.
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