Poisonous?

[Tubby]

Did you know that the castor bean is deadly if ingested? I used to get fed castor oil all the time when I was a kid but I sure didn't know it held ricin, one of the most deadly poisons on the planet. An adult can eat just one bean and collapse and die. I knew there was a reason I didn't like castor oil.

[campclose]

I thought they told pregnant women to drink castor oil to help go into labor? I wouldn't think that they would tell them this if it was poisonous. I have never drank castor oil before.

[wvbreamfisherman]

Castor beans contain ricin, which is a very deadly poison Ricin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The castor oil extracted from the beans does not.

Castor oil used to be used as a lubricant in model airplane engines, which since they are two-cycle are oiled from the fuel.

[JeepThrills]

I actually knew that because it is in my book of poisons that I use for mystery writing. Ha ha. I believe there may be an Agatha Christie story that uses them as a murder weapon. The more interesting question, of course, is --- did you know that apple seeds contain arsenic?

[hummingbird]

There are quite a few plant poisons out there. The oleander, as beautiful as it is, will knock you dead with just a tiny piece of a stem, or any other part of the plant. There is quite a famous oleander poisoning in the South.

[wvbreamfisherman]

Morning Glory seeds contain Lysergic Acid. Foxglove contains digoxin (digitalis) which is highly toxic in slightly larger than theraputic doses. Common salvia contains a hallucinogen. Common poppies contain opium (and eating enough poppy seed rolls can cause a positive drug test for opiates).

It's truly amazing just how many common plants contain nasty chemicals.

[RuffinIt]

Originally Posted by hummingbird

There are quite a few plant poisons out there. The oleander, as beautiful as it is, will knock you dead with just a tiny piece of a stem, or any other part of the plant. There is quite a famous oleander poisoning in the South.

Funny you should mention this as I just learned that oleander was poisonous today from a Sue Grafton novel. The plot of A is for Alibi has two people poisoned by ground oleander substituted into their allergy capsules. I don't believe we grow oleander up here in the northeast.