Poisons

"Toxic plant and animal products have been used for thousands of years in hunting, execution, and warfare.  Usually, the poisonous extracts were smeared on arrows or spears, and the earliest reliable written evidence from such use appears in the Rig Veda, an ancient poetic work from the Vedic period in India (c. 1500-500 BC).  The ancient Greek word toxikon originally meant 'poison for arrows'.  Both Homer and Virgil mention the use of arrow poisons derived from natural sources.  For example, in the Odyssey, Athena reports that when she first met Odysseus he 'was seeking the deadly poison (probably aconite) wherewith to anoint his bronze-tipped arrows'.  Aconite was also the most widely used arrow poison in medieval Europe, and was still in use on the Iberian peninsula as late al the seventeenth century.  Despite the potential of these toxins as agents of warfare and other murderous activities, they were originally intended as important hunting accessories.  The arrow poisons of South America and Africa provide excellent examples of this."  An excerpt from Murder, Magic, & Medicine by John Mann

Select Poisons

Something to keep in mind about poisons and medicines is that often the line between toxic and therapeutic is very fine.  Therefore, while I have mentioned these compounds as poisons, varying the dosage can yield a therapeutic effect.

Atropine is a naturally occurring alkaloid of the "atropa belladonna," which causes dilation of the pupils.  This compound competes for acetylcholine muscarinic receptor sites and is an antidote for physostigmine poisoning (which comes from the Calabar Bean).  Atropine can be extracted from the datura plant, which has beautiful flowers, such as that shown below.

Digitoxin is a compound extracted from Digitalis Purrpurea (also known as foxglove), which is shown on the right.  Digitoxin is a cardiac glycoside that is now routinely used as a drug for congestive heart failure and for treatment of cardiac arrhythmias.  In addition to digitoxin found in foxglove, digioxin can be extracted which is more quickly eliminated from the body and is a more hydrophilic compound than digitoxin.

Poison Links

Index of Poisonous Plants at Botanical.com

South American Poisonous Frog

Biotoxins in Warfare

Digitalis

Cornell University Poisonous Plants Informational Database

Toxic Plants in Indiana (a good general overview of many plants)

Toxic Plants Index

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