Poison Garden Plants

Aconitum napellus - Monkshood "Queen of Poisons" *

Aconitum toxicity is typically only seen with the misuse of traditional Chinese herbal medicine.

Aconitum napellus, commonly known as Monkshood or Wolf's Bane, is a highly toxic plant found within the Poison Garden.

Native to Europe and Asia, Aconitum napellus contains a number of poisonous alkaloids, including aconitine, which can cause cardiac arrest and death if ingested in sufficient quantities.

All parts of the plant, particularly the roots and seeds, are toxic and should not be handled or consumed. Even small amounts of the plant can cause tingling, numbness, and paralysis of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

Despite its toxicity, Aconitum napellus has a long history of medicinal use in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, where it has been used to treat a variety of ailments, including pain and fever.

In addition to its medicinal uses, Aconitum napellus has also been used as a poison throughout history, particularly in ancient Rome, where it was used to execute criminals.

Visitors to the Poison Garden are reminded to exercise caution and to not touch or ingest any part of Aconitum napellus. If you suspect that you or someone else has come into contact with the plant, seek medical attention immediately.

Lupine (Lupinus) *

Lupine contains a variety of toxic alkaloids, including lupinine, anagyrine, and sparteine. Ingesting any part of the plant, especially the seeds and pods, can cause symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, and even respiratory failure in severe cases.

Please do not touch or consume any part of the Lupine plant. If you believe you or someone you know has come into contact with Lupine, seek medical attention immediately.

Oleander nerium (variety Austin Pretty Limits purchased from Home Depot)

Oleander toxicity requires ingestion of plant material.

From University of Utah Health website

Oleander Toxicity

There are numerous natural sources of cardioactive steroids, or cardiac glycosides, in addition to the well-known foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) and the pharmaceutical derivative digoxin. Other examples include red squill, lily of the valley, oleander (Nerium oleander), yellow oleander (Cascabela thevetia), dogbane, pong pong tree, milkweed, and sea mango. Ingestion of yellow oleander seeds is a common method of suicide in southeast Asia.1

Oleander (Figure 1) grows across the southern United States (Figure 2). The toxic cardenolide oleandrin is found in all parts of the plants with the greatest concentrations in the leaves. Toxicity has occurred with ingestion of multiple leaves or decoction of oleander. Toxicity is unlikely from small pediatric exposures.

Toxicity is similar to digoxin: nausea, vomiting, and cardiac abnormalities including bradycardia, various AV blocks, and ventricular dysrhythmias .2 Oleandrin is similar to digoxin and inhibits Na+/K+ ATPase leading to increased intracellular Na+ concentrations. This leads to diminished function of the Na+/Ca2+ antiporter causing increased intracellular Ca2+.

*this information was contributed to by chat.openai.com