Make no mistake, plants can be as dangerous and deadly as the most ferocious reptiles in the world. Some can be so lethal that there are books of instructions by the best scientists on how to survive if you come in contact with one. They may look harmless enough, but plants can harbour some of the deadliest poisons known. From the death of Socrates by poison hemlock to the accidental ingestion of deadly nightshade by children, poisonous plants have been responsible for human deaths throughout history. Here we have top 10 most dangerous plants in the world whose facts will really amaze you and send chills down your spines. Here we go:
1). Jimsonweed
Jimsonweed, also known as devil’s weed, hell’s bell and devil’s trumpet, grows across United States, Canada and some of Caribbean Islands. The plants have power to alter mind condition and act as powerful hallucinogens. But elements of poison can be found within most parts of Jimsonweed, mostly concentrated in leaves and seeds. The toxicity in jimsonweed varies by plant’s age, climate and place it belongs to. The careless usage, especially by sucking juice of the roots, leaves of Jimsonweed will affect your nervous system, eyes, ears, throat and mouth, overdose may also result in death.
2). Astropa Belladonna
Astropa Belladonna, also known as deadly nightshade, an extremely poisonous plant that is native to Eastern hemisphere, contains different chemicals that have power to block functions of the nervous system of the body. So it is used as an anticholinergic agent, used to treat diseases like asthma, muscular spasms and excessive sweating. At the same time, both berries or leaves of this plant contain highly poisonous tropane alkaloid toxin. Ingestion of two or more berries or leaves of this plant can cause death of a human adult.
3). Castor Bean Plant
Netflix buffs might remember what “ricin” means ( remember “Breaking bad” ? ). Ricin is present in the seeds of castor bean plant. Ricin is an extremely dangerous toxin. It is also present in other parts of castor bean plants but in low concentration. Ricin is 6000 times more poisonous than cyanide, one of the most powerful poisons ever known. So, the castor bean plant, the flowering plant from which castor oil comes from is actually high poisonous.
4). Rosary Pea
More than the plant, seeds of Rosary Pea are easily recognizable as they are attractive scarlet colour seeds. It grows in tropical regions around the world. The attractive seeds of Rosary Pea are used as beads in many places of India and Indonesia. At the same time, it is highly toxic due to the presence of a natural poison known as Abrin. Breaking the shell could expose abrin from seeds of Rosary Pea. Once consumed, Abrin will make severe changes within your body. This poison will prevent cells from creating proteins they demanded due to which cells die with time. Difficulty in breathing, vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration and pain in the eyes are some symptoms. The high rate of exposure of abrin can also cause death within 72 hours.
5). Oleander
Though commonly grown as a hedge, all parts of the Oleander plant are deadly and contain lethal cardiac glycosides known as Oleandrin and Neriine. Indeed, the toxins in Oleander are so strong that people have become ill after eating honey made by bees that visited the flowers! If eaten, Oleander can cause vomiting, diarrhea, erratic pulse, seizures, coma, and death, and contact with the leaves and sap is known to be a skin irritant to some people.
6). White Snakeroot
An innocuous plant, White snakeroot was responsible for the death of Abraham Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks. Unlike those who have died from directly ingesting deadly plants, poor Nancy Hanks was poisoned by simply drinking the milk of a cow who had grazed on the plant. Indeed, both the meat and milk from poisoned livestock can pass the toxin to human consumers. Symptoms include loss of appetite, nausea, weakness, abdominal discomfort, reddened tongue, abnormal acidity of the blood, and death. Luckily farmers are now aware of this life-threatening hazard and make efforts remove the plant from animal pastures.
7). Conium
Widely known for its uses in ancient Greece as a means of execution, Conium’s (a.k.a Hemlock) most famous victim was the philosopher Socrates, who suffered the effects of the plant’s most potent toxin, Coniine. Ingestion of even small amounts of Coniine (6—8 leaves, or an even smaller doses of the seeds or roots) causes death by disrupting your body’s neuromuscular junctions, resulting in what is known as “ascending muscular paralysis.” The paralysis typically begins in a person’s legs, and ascends up the body until in reaches the respiratory muscles, resulting in death.
8). Dieffenbachia (aka Dumbcane)
When leaves of the Dieffenbachia plant are chewed, these tiny spears of calcium oxalate typically lead to oral irritation, excessive drooling, and swelling. In rare cases, however, irritation becomes so severe that the tongue, mouth, and throat are effectively immobilized, while tissues become so swollen that the airways are blocked, leading to death.
9). Hippomane mancinella
The Manchineel tree does not like company. If you brush up against the tree, the white sap it produces is liable to produce a violent allergic reaction on your skin. Standing beneath the tree during a rainstorm will cause any skin that comes in contact with runoff from the tree, to blister. Ingesting the tree’s fruit is often fatal on account of its physostignmine content, which can lead to complications involving naseau, vomiting, diarrhea, and seizures. Basically, don’t mess with the manchineel; there’s a reason it’s called “the little apple of death.” You won’t like it, and it definitely doesn’t like you.
10). Cicuta or Water Hemlock
Found mainly in the marshy areas of the American continent, this plant contains a deadly toxin, Cicutoxin. Cicutoxin causes violent and painful convulsions, nausea, vomiting, cramps, and muscle tremors. Those who survive the poisoning experience long-term health conditions, such as amnesia. No amount of Water Hemlock root is considered safe to ingest. Livestock have long been affected, leading to the common name “cowbane.” Poisoning in livestock is common and typically occurs following ingestion of roots of the plant. Roots exposed by ploughing can also be the source of livestock poisonings. Ingestion of plant material may cause death in the animal in as little as 15 minutes.
