[efloraofindia:33606] Fwd: FW: ATTENTION :KILLER HOUSE PLANT!

[Yazdy Palia]

Dear friends,
Just received this mail. Could this be true? What is the identity of the plant?
Regards
Yazdy Palia.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: yezdi palia <yezdi...@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 10:40 PM
Subject: FW: ATTENTION :KILLER HOUSE PLANT!
To: Farida Abraham <fa.ab...@gmail.com>, Akshai Abraham <akshai....@gmail.com>, Diana Billimoria <dianabi...@yahoo.com>, Ashrita Dass <aashri...@gmail.com>, Anuradha Ganesh <anu...@gmail.com>, Shazman Jabeen <husn...@hotmail.com>, Navaz Karanjia <Navaz.K...@tatatel.co.in>, Kamal Mukerjee <kak...@yahoo.com>, Rumi Palia <rumi...@yahoo.com>, Parvez Rudina <parvez...@yahoo.co.in>, Neville Sarkari <nevil...@adelphia.net>, Revi Unni <revi...@gmail.com>, Venugopal <satya...@gmail.com>
Cc: yazdy...@gmail.com

--- On Fri, 4/30/10, BHIKHU VARIAVA <bhi_v...@hotmail.com> wrote: From: BHIKHU VARIAVA <bhi_v...@hotmail.com> Subject: FW: ATTENTION :KILLER HOUSE PLANT! To: "aaresh powvalla" <aaresh.k...@intel.com>, "Behzaad Devadhvala" <behzaad.d...@sap.com>, bhikhu....@tajhotels.com, "b jackson" <bjac...@argonet.co.uk>, cyrusv...@hotmail.com, farnaz_...@hotmail.com, "FIROZA-CAD" <fir...@unionbankofindia.com>, hufr...@rediffmail.com, jaze...@hotmail.com, "kalia" <kalia...@rediffmail.com>, ker...@gmail.com, majo...@yahoo.co.in, "MARUKH PAWALLA" <maru...@hotmail.com>, p_na...@hotmail.com, "Simon Jackson" <victr...@btinternet.com>, "Susan Jackson" <sjac...@argonet.co.uk>, "Zarir Darbari" <zdar...@yahoo.com>, yezdi...@yahoo.com, zen...@unionbankofindia.com, zubm...@hotmail.com Date: Friday, April 30, 2010, 3:10 AM   From: sach...@hotmail.com To: ram...@sapref.com; anthony...@hotmail.com; arlen...@hotmail.com; aba...@rogers.com; bhi_v...@hotmail.com; bev...@hotmail.com; chaitra...@yahoo.in; crystal....@au.harveynorman.com; cynt...@yahoo.com; dde...@hotmail.com; eleanor...@hotmail.com; evelynp...@hotmail.com; gret...@rci.rogers.com; hmisq...@yahoo.com; jacki...@yahoo.com; jers...@hotmail.com; franci...@hotmail.com; tawo...@hotmail.com; magi_f...@hotmail.com; rina...@rediffmail.com; chers...@hotmail.com; stanys...@hotmail.com; vidz...@gmail.com; vish_...@yahoo.com Subject: FW: ATTENTION :KILLER HOUSE PLANT! Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:28:41 -0400 Subject: ATTENTION :KILLER HOUSE PLANT!       AS RECEIVED        Dear all,  Please read below. The message is true. I almost lost my daughter who put a piece of the leaf of this plant in her mouth and her tongue swelled to the point of suffocation. This is one plant but there are others with the same characteristics of coloring. Those are also poisonous and we should get rid of them. Please watch out for our children. As we all leave our children home in the hands of the helpers, we should give them a safe environment where they can play.    "This plant that we have in our homes and offices is extremely dangerous! This plant is common in Kenya , Rwanda, Uganda in plant nurseries, many offices and  homes. It is a deadly poison, mainly for the children.. It can kill a kid in less than a minute and an adult in 15 minutes. It should be uprooted from gardens and taken out of offices. If touched, one should never touch ones eyes; it can cause partial or permanent blindness. Please alert your buddies.             Live connected. Get Hotmail & Messenger for mobile. Catch the changing security environment Get it now.

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[Neil Soares]

Hi Yazdy,   It is a common house plant Diffenbachia amonea. Don't think that it is potentially toxic.                           Regards,                             Neil Soares. --- On Fri, 4/30/10, Yazdy Palia <yazdy...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Padmini Raghavan]

It is well known that Dieffenbachia plants have some substance that can cause severe itching of skin and even cause laryngeal oedema, which is why it has the common name "Dumb Cane".

 

 There are so many common plants which are poisonous when eaten that it is very important to see that children are supervised and taught not to ingest any leaf etc.

 

The oleander is so poisonous that one scientist recently wrote he was surprised there was anyone left alive in the Mediterranean!

Ricin in the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, is also a deadly poison; it has been used by terrorists.

All parts of the Custard apple tree contain some cyanide, esp the seeds.

Zamia furfuracea (in my drawing room) is also poisonous, esp the seeds.

Cheers,

Padmini Raghavan.
. 

[Yazdy Palia]

Dear Ms. Padmini Raghavan,
Thank you so much for the information.
Regards
Yazdy Palia.

[Yazdy Palia]

Dear MR. Neil Soares,
Many thanks for the information.
Regards
Yazdy.

[tanay bose]

Thanks for the great set of informations from all.
Tanay

--
Tanay Bose
+91(033) 25550676 (Resi)
9830439691(Mobile)
9674221362 (Mobile)

[Gurcharan Singh]

This plant is commonly rightly known as dumb cane, causing temporary impairment of speach.

-- 
Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

[Aparna Watve]

Dear All,
Dieffenbachia is a well known poisonous plant. Although fatal cases are rare. Information on this plant can be found in medical books that include poisoning cases.


The name Dumb Cane reflects the fact that the acrid sap will burn the mouth and numb the throat to the extent that it may even paralyze the vocal cords. The plant should not be used around small children who are likely to put things in their mouths.
The cells of the Dieffenbachia plant contain needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals called
raphides. If a leaf is chewed, these crystals cause a burning sensation  in the mouth and throat; swelling can occur along with a temporary inability to speak, and from this effect the plants are commonly called dumb cane Chewing could result in death if swelling of the throat blocks the airway. Slaves were supposedly sometimes punished by having dieffenbachia put into their mouths [1]. Young children (at the age where they regularly put things into their mouths) are at risk of suffocation and death if they eat or chew on Dieffenbachia  leaves. These occurences are exceptionally rare. Some cats eat houseplants and flowers; they are similarly at risk.

Symptoms
    * Burning in mouth or throat
    * Damage to cornea of the eye
    * Diarrhoea
    * Eye pain
    * Hoarse voice
    * Nausea or vomiting
    * Swelling in mouth or tongue

For those who want to know more details, this might be a useful paper.
Dieffenbachia: Uses, abuses and toxic constituents: A review
Joseph Ardittia and Eloy Rodrigueza
Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Volume 5, Issue 3, May 1982, Pages 293-302

Regards
Aparna

--
Dr. Aparna Watve
Dr. Aparna Watve
Asha Appt, Shanti Nagar, Ekata Colony
Nr. BSNL tower, Akbar Ward,
Seoni.480661
tel: 07692-228115
mobile: (0)9755667710 and 9822597288 still works

[promila chaturvedi]

Padmini Ji,
you are right, dieffenbechia is that nasty plant which affects vocal activities among children and pets alike. Oleander-Thevetia is used in killing new born specially female child. Even cattle avoid it. But I have no knowledge of the other plants you mentioned here.
Promila
 

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Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 23:20:17 +0530
Subject: Re: [efloraofindia:33608] Fwd: FW: ATTENTION :KILLER HOUSE PLANT!
From: pad...@gmail.com
To: yazdy...@gmail.com
CC: indian...@googlegroups.com

---

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[Farida Abraham]

Yes, commonly called dumb cane plant and poisonous. FA

--
Mrs. F. Abraham.
Principal,
La Martiniere Girls' College,
Lucknow 226001.

[Anand Kumar Bhatt]

In this connection read my blog on Poisonous Plants. The link is:
http://anandkbhatt.blogspot.com/search?q=poisonous+plants

I never knew that diffenbachia is such a poisonous plant. It is a very common houseplant grown in offices and homes all over. Let other experts opine.

--
Anand Kumar Bhatt
A-59, B.S.F.Colony, Airport Road
Gwalior. 474 005.
Tele: 0751-247 2233. Mobile 0 94253 09780.
My blogsite is at:
http://anandkbhatt.blogspot.com
(A new blogs has been added on 1 April and 11 March 10.)
And the photo site:
www.flickr.com/photos/akbhatt/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ten most  common surnames of Indians: Singh, Kumar, Sharma, Patel, Shah, Lal, Gupta, Bhat, Rao, Reddy. Cheers!

[Anand Kumar Bhatt]

yazdi is right. Bose and Chwdhury in their book have written, "It has the common name dumb cane because of its sap which causes intense pain and swelling of the tongue if it is taken internally."
More than quarter century ago when when my daughter was a toddler the civil surgeon came to m officail residence, saw a potted plant and advised me to immediately have it uprooted and burnt. He said that its sap if it goes in the eye can cause blindness. Today I searched for it in Bose's book . It is EUPHORBIA TIRUCALLI. BOSE HAS WRITTEN IN THE DESCRIPTION THAT "IT IS EXTREMELY POISONOUS. "
Most of the plants that I have mentioned in my blog are common household plants found in many home gardens. Poison is not difficult to find!
ak

[Padmini Raghavan]

We were taught in Medical Jurisprudence that "Madar" milk was mixed with Mother's milk and used for infanticide.Ie. Calotropis gigantea. I didnt know that Thevitia was also used in this way.

 Among the household poisons is another one;  I am not sure if it is the "Sheekakai" (Acacia concinna) or the "Mehendi"(Lawsonia inermis) which is dangerous. I only remember thinking I shd be careful when mixing it on the kitchen counter, in case the powder spills onto some food or cooking vessel.

 The book An Ear to the Ground by Ken Thompson had a whole chapter on dangerous plants. It is informative and amusing as well.

Padmini Raghavan.

On Sat, May 1, 2010 at 12:35 PM, promila chaturvedi <landd...@hotmail.com> wrote:

[Anand Kumar Bhatt]

I am quoting from Wikipedia reg poisonous effect of Shikakai:
Acacia concinna has been used for hair care in India for centuries, it is now grown commercially in India and Far East Asia. The plant parts used for the dry powdered or the extract are the bark, leaves or pods. It is a common shrub found in jungles throughout India. The bark contains high levels of saponins, which are foaming agents that are found in several other plant species. Saponin-containing plants have a long history of use as mild cleaning agents. Saponins from the plant's pods have been traditionally used as a detergent and in Bengal for poisoning fish and are documented to be potent marine toxins.
One does not have to go far in searching for a poison whether for humans or for other animals and living creatures!
ak

--
Anand Kumar Bhatt
A-59, B.S.F.Colony, Airport Road
Gwalior. 474 005.
Tele: 0751-247 2233. Mobile 0 94253 09780.
My blogsite is at:
http://anandkbhatt.blogspot.com
(A new blogs has been added on 1 April and 11 March 10.)
And the photo site:
www.flickr.com/photos/akbhatt/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ten most  common surnames of Indians: Singh, Kumar, Sharma, Patel, Shah, Lal, Gupta, Bhat, Rao, Reddy. Cheers!

[Anand Kumar Bhatt]

About thevetia peruviana:

"These plants are toxic to most vertebrates as they contain cardiac glycosides. Many cases of intentional and accidental poisoning of humans are known.^[1] A few bird species are however known to feed on them without any ill effects. These include the Asian Koel, Red-whiskered Bulbul, White-browed Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Brahminy Myna, Common Myna and Common Grey Hornbill.[" Wikipedia.

one man's food is another man's poison!
ak

On Tue, May 4, 2010 at 11:37 PM, Padmini Raghavan <pad...@gmail.com> wrote:

--
Anand Kumar Bhatt
A-59, B.S.F.Colony, Airport Road
Gwalior. 474 005.
Tele: 0751-247 2233. Mobile 0 94253 09780.
My blogsite is at:
http://anandkbhatt.blogspot.com
(A new blogs has been added on 1 April and 11 March 10.)
And the photo site:
www.flickr.com/photos/akbhatt/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ten most  common surnames of Indians: Singh, Kumar, Sharma, Patel, Shah, Lal, Gupta, Bhat, Rao, Reddy. Cheers!

[Yazdy Palia]

Many thanks Anand Kumar Bhat ji,
I wonder however, if it can be called a shrub. We have them in our forests, they are climbers and have very sharp curved spikes. Years ago when one of our cows had strayed into the forest and had got entangled in one such climber/ shrub, it got torn to shreds as it tried to escape from the clutches of the spikes and died of bleeding.
The variety that is available in our waynad area at least climb quite high.
Regards
Yazdy.