This document provides information on several toxic plant seeds including castor, abrus precatorius, marking nut, croton, and their toxic effects. It describes the physical characteristics, toxic principles, clinical features of ingestion or contact, fatal doses, treatment, and post-mortem findings for each plant. It also discusses their judicious and criminal uses, as well as common cattle and arrow poisons, which highlights their medicolegal significance.

1. Demonstration Class
Vegetable Irritants
Dr. Salam Bitam Singh
Senior Resident

2. Ricinus Communis
Common Name: Castor Seed, Arandi, Mole bean
Physical Character:
Shape and size : oval, Large seed(1.5X2cm),
Small(1.2X0.8cm).
Resembles with the croton seeds which is though
oval in shape but greyish brown in colour, surface
got glossy, having longitudinal lines, no ornamental.
Colour: Glossy brown and mottled in appearance
Large seeds: Red seeds with brown blotches yields
40% oil used for illumination, industrial lubricant.
Small Seeds: Grey, bright, Polished with brown
spots resembling Croton Tigluim in size and shape
yields 37% oil.

4. Toxic principles:
Ricin( Water soluble glycoprotein.): Supertoxic
poison even more poisonous than Cobra Venom.
Toxalbumin/Phytotoxin: Got antigenic property so
produce antibody when injected in the body so
causes agglutination of red cells,Haemolysis and
cytolysis and is antigenic in nature.
Castor Seeds :
a) Oil (Pale yellow with a faint odour and acidic
taste.)contains recinolic acid(non Poisonous)
causes purging.
b) Pressed cakes : Poisonous.
Entire plant is poisonous containing Ricin (max. In
seeds) and a powerful allergen.

5. Clinical Features:
1. Ingestion
• Severe burning pain in the mouth, throat,stomach.
• Salivation, nausea,Violent Vomiting , Thist,Coliky pain
abdomen,Diarrhoea with bloody stool.
• Decrease Blood Pressure, Rapid feeble pulse
• Cramps in the muscles,cold cammy skin.
• Shallow respiration
• Oliguria,uraemia, Jaundice followed by convulsion,
collapse and death
• Consciousness retained till death.
2. Powder /Paste
• Lacrimation,conjunctivitis,headache,Sneezing,Pharyngiti
s,bronchitis,Dermatitis.

6. Fatal dose: 10 seeds/6gm of Ricin.
Fatal Period: 36-48 hrs.
Treatment
Ingestion /Seeds Poisoning:
Stomach wash
Demulcent
NaHCO3 2-3g, 6 hourly orally to alkalize urine
I.V Glucose saline to combat dehydration.

7. Post Mortem Appearances:
• Fragments of crushed seeds in the stomach
• G.I.T congested, inflamed and haemorrhagic
with mucosal excoriation at places.
• Haemorrhage in the lungs , liver , kidney even
spleen.
• Heart dilated.

8. Medicolegal Significance:
( Castor seeds in not poisonous)
Commercial /Judicious use:
Leaves : when applied locally relieves abdominal
pain,headache,and increases breast milk.
For the treatment of Rheumatic pain,sciatic pain
and tooch ache.
Castor oil for illumination.
Injudicious /Criminal Use:
Accidental: common
Homicidal/Suicidal: Rare
Abortificent
Malingering(Conjunctivitis).

9. Abrus Precartorius
Common Name: Kunch/Rati
Seed,Jequirity,Indian
Liquorice,rosary Beads,Gunchi,or
gunja.
Physical Characters:
• Shape: small oval pea like seed.
• Colour: Red coloured with a
black dot at one end. Other
colours(White with black
dot,white all over ,Black blue or
even yellow.)
• Size: 8mmX6mm
• Weight: one seed 105mg.

11. Toxic Principles:
a) Abrin( Inhibits protein synthesis and cause
cell death) : Toxalbumin similar to Viper
Snake Venom.
b) Abrene: N- Methyl Tryptophan.
c) Abralin: Glycoside.
d) Abrussic acid( Haemagglutinin in cotyledon
,fat splitting enzymes.)
Parts: Roots,stem,leaves contain glycyrrhizin , all
the parts are poisonous.
S.C abrin is 100 times toxic as oral route.

13. Clinical Features:
1. Ingestion: Signs and symptoms may be delayed 3-4hrs
to 2-3 days
 Severe irritation of G.I.T ( upper).
 Abdominal pain
 Nausea,Vomotting,Bloody Diarrhorea,Weakness,cold
perspiration.
 Trembling of hand
 Miosis
 Rectal Bleeds.Delayed cytotoxic effects on CNS ,Liver
,Kidney,adrenal Gland in 2-5 days.
 Faintness,Vertigo,Vomitting,Dyspnoe,General
prostration,
 Convulsion may proceed death from cardiac failure.

15. Treatment.:
Stomach wash
Demulcent drinks.
Acid Hydrochrloride pepsin to alkalinize urine.
Anti Abrin: antidote
Calcuim Gluconate(to control Tetany)
Post Mortem Appearances:
Needle fragments.
Oedema at the site of injection.
Petecheial haemorrhage under the skin,pleura,
pericardium.

16. 2. Injection
Animals when injected under the skin:
convulsion and other similar symptoms to
Viperine Snake Bite.
Man: Painful swelling,echymosis,
Inflamation,Necrosis at the site of injection.
Fatal Dose: ½ -1 seed,(90-120mg injection)
Abrin (super toxic) 0.0001-0.0002 mg/kg
injection fatal.
Fatal Period: 3-5 days.

18. Medicolegal Significance :
Judicious /Commercial Use:
• Goldsmith to weight Gold.
• Oil for alopecia
• Decoction obtained on boiling the seeds in milk is used as a
nerve tonic in 60-200mg doses contraception.
• Necklace.
Injudicious/Criminal Use:
 Homicidal: in the form of SUI/ Sutar, by placing between
finger and slapping on face.
 Decocnition on eye: purulent ophthalmic may be fatal.
 Accidental: biting the necklace of mother by child.
 Cattle poison by chamars( tanners)
 Arrow poison.
 Aphrodisiac.

19. Marking Nut ( Semicarpus Anacardium)
Common Names: Phobic nut ,
Vila,Bhilawa.
Physical Characters:
a. Shape : Heart Shape
b. Colour: Black, Hard nut
with an ashy grey stalk at
the base.
c. Weight: 1.6 to 3.6 gm.

22. Clinical Features:
• Toxic Principle: Semicarpol , Bhilwano,Tannic Acid.
Locally:
 Irritation,itching,forms black blisters and eczematous lesions
with the formation of marginal tiny blister on the surrounding
skin, resembling bruise, latter ulceration and sloughing.
 Lesions getting infected forms ulcer and sloughs which even
leads to death if applied to the scortum or vulvo vaginal.
 Fever, haematoma, even dysurea and painfull defecation.
Upon Ingestion:
 Burning pain of mouth with blister in the mouth,tongue,
throat,Nausea,Vommiting,Severe
Gastrointeritis,Dsyponea,Rapid and weak pulse,Decrease B.P,
cyanosis,Delerium,Coma,Collapse, and Death.
• Fatal Dose: 5-10gm
• Fatal Period: 12-24hrs.(ingestion).

24. Treatment:
• Gastric Lavage
• Demulcent.
Post Mortem Appearances:
• Blisters in the ,mouth , Throat , and stomach ,
also walls are congested and inflamed.

25. Medico Legal Significance:
Judicious Use:
• Washer man to mark on cotton clothes: (Soaked in water—Jiuce
taken by tip of needle by scratching the pericarb----tip dipped in lime
water used for marking.
Injudicious/Criminal Use:
 Homicidal
 Suicidal
 Accidental: when used for the treatment of syphilis,Nervous deases.
 Abortificent : Paste on abortion stick or applied over evxternal OS.
 Punishment for infidelity : juice introduce to the vagina.
 Vitriolage
Produce Artificial Bruise:
 Acrid juice from: Chitra,Lalchitra(Plumbaga Zeylanica or
Rosea),Marking Nut.
 Chemical: Caustic,H 2SO 4 etc.

27. Croton Seeds ( Croton Tigleum)
Common Nme:
Naepala,Jamal gota.
Physical Characters:
• Shape: Oval or oval-
oblong.1.27cm X 0.84cm
• Weight : 240mh/seed.
• Colour: Greyish brown , non
glossy surface with some
longitudinal lines on the
surface.

29. Active Principles: Crotin, Crotonoside,Crotonaleic
acid, Crotonol, Methyl Crotonic acid.
• Crotin : irritant and vesicant.
• Croton Oil: Brown , vicid, unpleasant odour
acid with burning taste , drastic purgative and
does not contain crotin .
Parts poisonous:
seeds:- Pressed cake , Croton oil.
Roots.

31. Clinical Features:
When ingested:
• Hot burning pain in the mouth,throat,stomach,salivation
Nausea,Vomitting,coliy pain abdomen, Diarrhoea with
bloody stool( due to excretion of crotonolic acid into the
intestine), Vertigo, Prostration, circulatory and respiratory
collapse.
When oil applied on the skin.: Burningpain, errythema
,Vesication.
• Fatal Dose: 4 seeds or 3ml of croton oil.
• Fatal Period: 4-6hrs.

32. Treatment:
a) Stomach Wash(even when the croton oil/ paste
is applied on the skin )
b) Demulcent drinks
c) I.V Glucose saline,
d) Morphine and atropine to relieve painand also
reduce intestinal secretion.
e) NaHCO3 2-5gm 8hrly to alkalinize the urine.
Post Mortem Appearances:
Congestion , inflammation and erosion of the
gastric and intestinal mucosa.
Congestion of the internal organs.

33. Medicolegal Significance :
• Homicidal : Through food( Extracts obtained
after boiling with water is mixed with the food.)
• Suicidal: Rare
• Accidental: Mistaken overdose as purgatives.
• Abortificent: oil or paste of the root applied
over the abortion stick.
• Cattle poison(poison fish in the tank.)
• Arrow poison(oil or paste from the soft part of
the seed.)

34. Cattle Poisons:
• Abus Precarious
• Arsenic
• Yellow oleander
• Rattle,Aconite
• Madar
• Snake venome
• Nux Vomica Seeds
Arrow Poisons
• Abrus precartorus,
• Aconite,
• croton oil,
• calotropis,
• snake venome,
• strychnine.