Top 10 Most Poisonous Plants in the world

There are hundreds of poisonous plants in the world, and some of them are deadly. Plants cannot move to escape their predators, so over millions of years, plants have developed amazing ways to protecting themselves from herbivorous animals. Some plants have physical defenses, but the most common protection is chemical.

Below is Top 10 List of plants containing toxics that may pose a serious risk of illness or death to humans.

10. Jimson weed ( Datura stramonium )

By Nuuuuuuuuuuul

Also known by the common names datura, thornapple, moon flower,and Spanish name Toloache, Datura plant has been used widely as herbal medicine to relieve asthma symptoms and as painkiller during surgery or bonesetting. This plant also have a powerful hallucinogen and deliriant. However, Datura plants contain dangerous levels of the tropane alkaloids atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine which are fatally toxic in only slightly higher amounts than the allowed medicinal dosage. Careless use of above mentioned chemicals often results in hospitalizations and deaths.

9. Oleander ( Nerium oleander )

By Heather Cowper

Oleander is one of the most poisonous of commonly grown garden plants. This plant can grows well in warm subtropical regions and extensively used as an ornamental plant in landscapes, in parks, and along roadsides. All parts of Oleander are toxic, but especially the leaves and woody stems. They contain cardiac glycosides, which have therapeutic applications but can cause severe digestive upset, heart trouble and contact dermatitis when ingested. Furthermore the smoke of burning oleander can cause reactions in human lungs, and can be fatal.

8. Monkshood ( Aconitum )

By Rüdiger Kratz

Monkshood also known as "the queen of poisons", aconite, wolf's bane, leopard's bane, women's bane, devil's helmet or blue rocket. The plant contains very large quantities of a poison called alkaloid aconite, which used by the Ainu in Japan and Chinese peoples for hunting and for warfare. The symtoms when humans poisoined with aconite may appear immediately not longer than one hour with initial signs are gastrointestinal including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea and instant death may occurs within 2 - 6 hours in fatal poisoning.

7. White Snakeroot ( Ageratina altissima )

By H. Zell

White snakeroot, commonly known as richweed or white sanicle, is a poisonous perennial herb native to eastern North America. The toxic principle of this plant is tremotol which can absorbed into milk and meat of cattle if consumed. When humans consumed the beef or drink the milk from these contaminated cows, the toxin then pass on to humans body and causes milk sickness, which is fatal. Notably, milk sickness was claimed to be the cause of death of Nancy Hanks Lincoln, who was the mother of Abraham Lincoln.

6. Angel's Trumpet ( Brugmansia )

By 4028mdk09

Contrary to its name, this plant which looks beautiful when blooming was very toxic and dangerous. All parts of this plant is containing toxic Scopolamine (hyoscine), hyoscyamine, and some tropane alkaloids. The most dangerous part of the brugmansia are seeds and leaves. Effects of ingestion can include paralysis of smooth muscles, confusion, tachycardia, dry mouth, diarrhea, migraine, visual and auditory hallucinations, mydriasis, rapid onset cycloplegia, and death.

5. Water hemlock ( Cicuta sp )

By Fritzflohrreynolds

Water hemlock, or poison parsnip, is a group of highly poisonous plants that grows in North America. The plants contains the toxin cicutoxin, which wreaks havoc on the central nervous system, causing grand mal seizures-which include loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions-and eventually death, if ingested. This poison is found in all parts of the plant but is most concentrated in the roots, which is most potent in the spring. Death is usually caused by respiratory failure or ventricular fibrillation and can occur just a few hours after ingestion.

4. Rosary Pea ( Abrus precatorius )

By பரிதிமதி

Abrus precatorius, known commonly as jequirity, Crab's eye, rosary pea, precatory pea or bean, John Crow Bead, Indian licorice,Akar Saga, gidee gidee and Jumbie bead. The plant is native to Indonesia, but grows in most parts of the world because they are very easy to grow and somehow invasive. The seeds is popular because it used as beads in jewelry and in percussion instruments. Abrus precatorius seeds contains The toxin abrin which is about 75 times stronger than ricin, symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, convulsions, liver failure, and death, usually after several days. Taking a single seed can kill an adult human. The seeds dust is also very dangerous if inhaled and pinpricks can be fatal.

3. Belladonna ( Atropa belladonna )

By peganum

Commonly known as deadly nightshade, devil's cherry and dwale. The foliage and berries of this plant are extremely toxic, it containing tropane alkaloids which include scopolamine also hyoscyamine, this kind of toxics can cause a bizarre delirium and hallucinations. Another symptoms of Belladonna poisoning include loss of voice, dry mouth, headaches, breathing difficulty and convulsions. Belladonna is one of the most toxic plants found in the Eastern Hemisphere. The whole Belladonna plant contain tropane alkaloids. The berries pose the greatest risk to children because they looks colorful and attractive, furthermore it also have a sweet taste. The consumption of two to five berries by adult person could be fatal. The root of Belladonna is the most toxic part although the risk is varies from one to another Belladonna species. Only need one leaf to kill an adult person.

2. Castor oil plant ( Ricinus Communis )

By Alvesgaspar

Also known as Palma Christi, Castor oil plants can be found anywhere all over the world, the plant is the current holder of the Guinness Book of World Records for world's most poisonous plant. The toxicity of raw castor beans is due to the presence of ricin, a highly toxic, naturally occurring lectin (a carbohydrate-binding protein) produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant. If ricin is ingested, symptoms may be delayed by up to 36 hours but commonly begin within 2–4 hours, may cause a burning sensation in mouth and throat, abdominal pain, purging and bloody diarrhea. Within several days there is severe dehydration, a drop in blood pressure and a decrease in urine. Unless treated, death can be expected to occur within 3–5 days.

1. Suicide Tree ( Cerbera odollam )

By Blok888

Also known as Pong-pong and Othalanga, the seeds of the Suicide Tree contain a toxin called cerberin, a potent compound capable of disrupting calcium ion channels in heart muscle, which can lead to an irregular heart beat that is often fatal if the toxin is ingested in high enough quantities. The plant has been referred to by some as the perfect murder weapon. Getting someone to ingest the cerberin in the suicide tree is purportedly pretty easy to do, as its flavor can be disguised by spices when served in food. The toxin is also notorious for being overlooked as a cause of death in autopsies. A team from Laboratory of Analytical Toxicology in La Voulte-sur-Rhône, France, documented more than 500 cases of fatal Cerbera poisoning between 1989 and 1999 in Kerala, India. They said "To the best of our knowledge, no plant in the world is responsible for as many deaths by suicide as the odollam tree.