Though many plants may look harmless enough, some of them can harbor some of the most deadly poisons known.
History records a dungeon full of demise which were contributed by these cryptic creepers.
Documenting the death of Socrates to be the first by poison hemlock then proceeding to the haphazard ingestion of toxic nightshade by children. Hence we can admit that this lethal vegetation has been accountable for human casualties throughout history.
Get to know some of the most notorious plants along with their poisons and symptoms with this macabre list.
Very similar to poison hemlock the plant which is popular for it’s contribution towards killing Socrates, water hemlock has been considered “the most violently toxic plant in North America.”
The plant looks like an enormous wildflower in the carrot family, though water hemlock resembles Queen Anne’s lace and is often confused with palatable parsnips or celery.
However, water hemlock is instilled with deadly cicutoxin, especially in its roots.
If anyone eats the plant it instantly generates potentially fatal symptoms like Painful convulsions, abdominal cramps, nausea, and even death. Those who are lucky enough to survive are often plagued with amnesia or lasting tremors.
The legend says, Macbeth’s soldiers poisoned the Danes with wine made from deadly nightshade.
It is the sweetness of the berries that often used to lure children in and adults to consume this dangerous plant.
Night is known to be a native of wooded or waste areas in central and southern Eurasia, and has dull green leaves and shiny black poisonous berries which often have the size of cherries.
Nightshade consists of atropine and scopolamine in the plant’s stems, leaves, berries, and roots.
This plant can cause paralysis in the involuntary muscles of the body, including the heart. Physical contact with the leaves can result in skin irritation.
White snakeroot is a North American herb which has flat-topped clumps of tiny white flowers.
This plant was credible for the death of Abraham Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks.
The plant encompasses a lethal toxic alcohol known as trematol.
If consumed, the symptoms can entail loss of appetite, nausea, weakness, abdominal discomfort, reddened tongue, abnormal acidity of the blood, and death.
Castor Bean is widely cultivated as an ornamental and is found attractive plant native to Africa.
Though the processed seeds are the source of castor oil, they inherently contain the poison ricin and are fatal in small quantities.Only a small amount of one or two seeds can kill a child and eight,an adult.
The Ricin in the plant works by deterring the synthesis of proteins within cells and can cause drastic vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and even death.
This plant is also called jequirity beans, Rosary peas are native to tropical areas and are often used in jewelry and prayer rosaries.
These seeds contain abrin, an extremely deadly ribosome-inhibiting protein. While the seeds are not poisonous if intact, if they are scratched, broken, or chewed they can be dangerous.
Only three micrograms of abrin are enough to kill an adult, less than the amount of poison in one seed,
Similar to ricin, abrin prevents protein synthesis within cells and can cause organ failure within four days.
Described by Pliny the Elder in Ancient Rome, oleander is a gorgeous plant known for its striking flowers.
Though it is generally cultivated as a rail and ornamental, all parts of the plant are fatal and contain highly deadly cardiac glycosides known as oleandrin and neriine.
Though Tobacco is the most widely grown commercially as non-food plant in the world, it can be very deadly as we all know it.
Every part of the plant, particularly its leaves, contain the toxic alkaloids nicotine and anabasine, which can be deadly if eaten.
Despite its identification as a cardiac poison, nicotine from tobacco is consumed globally and is both psychoactive and addictive.
Tobacco causes more than 5 million deaths per year, possibly making it the most deadly plant in the world.
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