6,000 times more poisonous than cyanide grows in Polish gardens. There is no antidote

• Castor bean (also called common tick beetle) contains ricin, which is 6,000 times more potent than cyanide.
• Ricin poisoning can cause, among other things, ulcerative and hemorrhagic changes in the digestive system.
• The lethal dose of ricin is one that exceeds 2 mg/kg

Gazeta.pl explains that castor bean (Ricinus communis) is a species of plant from the Euphorbia family. It is also called simply castor bean or common tick - due to its characteristic seeds resembling blood-sucked female ticks.

The common tick probably came from northeastern Africa and the Middle East. It can grow up to four meters tall. It is worth adding that castor oil is obtained from the castor bean, which is used for various ailments and is widely used in the cosmetics industry.

The Botanical Garden of the University of Warsaw reminded that castor bean seeds contain a substance that is six thousand times more potent than cyanide, and a lethal dose is considered to be one above 2 mg/kg . This substance is ricin.

Gazeta.pl lists the possible effects of ricin poisoning, including:

• ulcerative and hemorrhagic changes in the digestive system,
• renal tubular necrosis,
• hypoglycemia,
• purulent pneumonia,
• respiratory tract ulceration.

The most common symptoms of poisoning include (according to Gazeta.pl):

• fever,
• excessive sweating,
• muscle pain,
• nausea,
• vomiting,
• dehydration.

There is no antidote to ricin, and attempts to remove it from the body are ineffective. In such cases, treatment is limited to relieving the symptoms of inflammation and treating kidney and liver failure.

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