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    Plant Poisoning

    Plant Poisoning is a topic covered in the 5-Minute Emergency Consult.

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    Basics

    Description

    • Plant exposure is 1 of the most common reasons to contact the poison center
    • Majority of cases involve unintentional ingestion in children <6 yr old.

    Etiology

    Identification of ingested plant species should be attempted whenever possible.

    Plants with Anticholinergic Properties
    • Genera include Atropa, Datura, Hyoscyamus, Solandra, and Solanum.
    • Common names of anticholinergic plants include Jimson weed, deadly nightshade, henbane, and angel trumpet.
    • Competitive antagonists of acetylcholine at the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor

    Plants with Cardiac Glycosides
    • Genera include Digitalis, Nerium, Thevetia, and Helleborus.
    • Common names of cardiac glycoside plants include foxglove, oleander, yellow oleander, lily of the valley, and hellebore/Christmas rose
    • Inhibit Na+/K+-ATPase:
      • See separate chapter on Digoxin Poisoning

    Plants with Nicotine-like Alkaloids
    • Genera include Nicotiana, Caulophyllum, and Conium
    • Common names of plants containing nicotine include tobacco, blue cohosh, and poison hemlock.
    • Direct-acting agonists at the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

    Plants with Cyanogenic Compounds
    • Genera include Hydrangea, Malus, Prunus, Sambucus
    • Common names of plants containing cyanogenic compounds (in some part of the plant) include apricot, cherry, peach, plum, apple, cassava, and elderberry
    • Metabolized to cyanide, which interferes with electron transport chain and leads to cellular poisoning

    Plants with Calcium Oxalate Crystals
    • Genera include Alocasia, Dieffenbachia, and Philodendron as well as many others
    • Common names for calcium oxalate–containing plants include elephant's ear, dumb cane, and mother-in-law's tongue
    • Clinical manifestations occur after release of intracellular calcium oxalate crystals:
      • Local tissue exposure to calcium oxalate crystals leads to inflammatory response.

    Plants with Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids
    • Genera include Crotalaria, Heliotropium, Senecio, and Sesbania
    • Common names of plants with pyrrolizidine alkaloids include scorpion's tail, ragwort, groundsel, and rattlebox
    • Metabolized to highly reactive pyrroles, which are directly hepatotoxic acutely and lead to hepatic vascular proliferation and veno-occlusive disease chronically.

    Plants with Sodium Channel Activity
    • Genera include Aconitum, Delphinium, Leucothoe, Lyonia, Pernettya, Pieris, Rhododendron, Schoenocaulon, Veratrum, and Zigadenus
    • Common names of plants with aconitine, veratrum alkaloids, and zygacine, all sodium channel openers, include: Aconite (monkshood, wolfsbane, delphinium), veratrum (false hellebore), and zygacine (death camas)
    • Common names of plants with grayanotoxins, which have variable effects on sodium channels, include sweet bells, rhododendron, azalea, and lily-of-the-valley bush
    • Variable sodium channel effects depending on toxin, although most lead to prolonged sodium channel influx.

    Plants with Toxalbumins
    • Genera include Abrus, Jatropha, Phoradendron, Ricinus, Robinia, Wisteria
    • Common names of plants with toxalbumins include rosary pea, mistletoe, and castor bean
    • Cause direct cellular toxicity by interfering with ribosomal function

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    Citation

    Rosen, Peter, et al., editors. "Plant Poisoning." 5-Minute Emergency Consult, 5th ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2016. Emergency Central, emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307073/all/Plant_Poisoning.
    Plant Poisoning. In: Rosen P, Shayne P, Barkin AZ, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. 5th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2016. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307073/all/Plant_Poisoning. Accessed April 26, 2019.
    Plant Poisoning. (2016). In Rosen, P., Shayne, P., Barkin, A. Z., Wolfe, R. E., Hayden, S. R., Barkin, R. M., & Schaider, J. J. (Eds.), 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Available from https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307073/all/Plant_Poisoning
    Plant Poisoning [Internet]. In: Rosen P, Shayne P, Barkin AZ, Wolfe RE, Hayden SR, Barkin RM, Schaider JJ, editors. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2016. [cited 2019 April 26]. Available from: https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307073/all/Plant_Poisoning.
    * Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
    TY - ELEC T1 - Plant Poisoning ID - 307073 ED - Rosen,Peter, ED - Shayne,Philip, ED - Barkin,Adam Z, ED - Wolfe,Richard E, ED - Hayden,Stephen R, ED - Barkin,Roger M, ED - Schaider,Jeffrey J, BT - 5-Minute Emergency Consult UR - https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307073/all/Plant_Poisoning PB - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins ET - 5 DB - Emergency Central DP - Unbound Medicine ER -