Dr Mohd Kaleem Khan

Assistant ProfessorDepartment Of Forensic Medicine

JNMCH AMU Aligarh

Abrus Precatorius Indian Liquorice/ Ratti

• All parts of plants are poisonous esp. seeds.

• Seeds are size of small pea, red in colour, egg shape, having black spot on one end or may be white or yellow

• active principle: – Abrin ( toxic protein that disables ribosomes, inhibits protein

synthesis, antigenic properties, hemolytic properties); – Abrine- an amino acid; haemagglutinin, – Abralin- a glycoside

• Abrus precatorius, Known commonly as

– Jequirity, crab's eye,rosary pea, precatory pea or bean, john crow bead, indian licorice, akar saga,

– Gidee gideeor jumbie bead in trinidad & tobago, – Is a slender, perennial climber that twines around trees,

shrubs, and hedges.

– It is a legume with long, pinnate-leafleted leaves.

SEEDS

Red and black white

PLANT

Plant Necklace

MOA

• Inhibit RNA polymerase• Binds to endoplasmic reticulum of gut mucosal cells

l/t diarrhoea.

• F.D. : 1 seed• F.P. : 3- 5 days

USES– The seeds of abrus precatorius are much valued in native jewelry for their

bright color.

– There have been cases of death by a finger-prick while boring the seeds for

beadwork.

– These seeds to weigh gold using a measure called a ratti, where 8 ratti = 1 masha; 12 masha = 1 tola (11.6 grams.

– In siddha medicine, the white variety is used to prepare oil that is claimed to be an aphrodisiac .

– Ayurveda because it is said to promote/stimulate hair growth.

Sign and Symptom

• On ingestion: • Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhoea, • Vertigo, tinnitus, and giddiness, • Cold clammy skin, irregular pulse, laboured breathing,

convulsions, • Haemolysis, oliguria and death d/t cardiac failure.

• Injected: • Resembles viperine snake bite. • Inflammation, oedema, oozing of fluid. • Painful swelling and necrosis of muscles and regional lymph node

may occur.

TREATMENT

• Gastric lavage • Suis should be excised• Anti abrin• A mixture of dilute hydrochloric acid and pepsin • Symptomatic treatment

Medicolegal Aspect– Accidental in children– Suis made from opium, dhatura, onion and spirit

and used for animal poisoning

– Seeds act as abortificient

– Malingering: conjunctivitis

– Arrow poison

Ricinus communis (Castor, Arandi)• Entire plant is poisonous esp. seeds except oil.• Seeds are smooth, flat, oval, mottled, dark brown

marking, bright and polished and occur in large and small form.

Active principle: • Toxalbumin RICIN, a water soluble glycoprotein

Green Red

Small seed Large seed

MOA:

• Antigenic- causes agglutination, hemolysis and cell destruction

• Blocks protein synthesis through inhibition of RNA polymerase

• Ricin has special binding protein that gains access to the endoplasmic reticulum of GIT causing diarrhoea

Sign and Symptom

• Dust of seeds causes:• Watering of eyes, conjunctivitis• Rhinitis, acute nasal inflammation• Headache, pharyngitis, bronchitis• Dermatitis• Gastric upset

• Ingestion• GIT: burning pain in throat, colicky abdominal pain, cramping,

nausea, thirst, vomiting and diarrhea.• CNS: vertigo, drowsiness, delirium, convulsions coma• Uremia, jaundice, feeble pulse, shock and dehydration

• F.D. : 10- 20 seeds• F.P. : 3-5 days

• Treatment:• Gastric lavage• Emetics and demulscents • symptomatic

PM Appearance:

• Mucosa congested, softened, inflamed, erosions, fragment of seeds may be present

• Dilatation of heart, pleural Hg, edema of Liver, kidney spleen and lung

MLI:• Accidental in children• Rarely homicidal( The Umbrella Murder Case)• Bioterrorism

Croton tiglium (jamal gota)

• Croton tiglium, known as Purging Croton, is a plant species in the Euphorbiaceae family.

• C. tiglium is also called Jamaal Gota in Hindi and Urdu.

• Seeds are dark brown, oval, similar to croton but not mottled and lustureless.

• All parts of plant are poisonous but seeds contain maximum conc. of Active principle.

• )

Plant Seed

Uses • C. tiglium is used in traditional Chinese medicine,• • C. tiglium is known as Japaala/or "Jayapala" in Sinhala and

used in Sinhala traditional medical system of Sri Lanka.

• Seeds have a powerful purge.

• Is a valuable remedy in diarrhoea, summer complaint, and Skin affections, in Homeopathic remedies

Toxic effect • Active principle:

– Crotin (toxalbumin) – Crotoniside ( glycoside

Ingestion– Burning pain in throat and stomach, salivation, colicky abdominal

pain, cramping, nausea, thirst, vomiting and bloody diarrhoea.– Prostration circulatory and respiratory collapse

– Applied to skin – Burning redness and vesication

• F.D. : 4 crushed seeds or 3 drops of oil• F.P. : 6-3 days

• Treatment:• GL• Emetics and demulscents • Morphine and atropine• symptomatic

PM Appearance:• Mucosa congested, softened, inflamed, erosions,

fragment of seeds may be present• Dilatation of heart, pleural Hg, oedema of Liver,

kidney spleen and lung

• MLI:• Accidental• Rarely homicidal and suicidal• Roots and oil as abortificient• Arrow poison

Calotropis gigantea/ calotropis procera

madar or akdo• Dried root freed from the outer cortical is

called Madar

• Active principle: uscharin, calotoxin, calactin, calotropin (cardiac glycoside) and gigantin (contained in serum)

Uses: • Flowers: digestive , carminative, tonic• Leaves: purgatives, emetic• Milky juice : vesicant, depilatory and t/t of

chronic skin condition • Tincture of bark or root: dysentry• Dried bark: expectorant, emetic and

purgative

Sign and symptoms• External – irritant vasication, conjunctivitis• Internal – gastrointestinal and cerebral

poison

Medico- legal importance• Madar juice is commonly used as an

abortifacient, • May be used for homicide , suicide or

infanticide• Animal poison• Artificial bruise• Arrow poison

Plumbago rosea/ plumbago zeylinca

lal chitra/ chitra• Roots are most poisonous• Active principle: plumbagin (glycoside) –

strong irritant and in small doses it stimulates contractions of heart, intestine and uterus and in large doses causes respiratory failure.

Medico-legal importance• Abortion• Homicide• paste of stem or leaves : for artificial

bruise• Powdered leaves and roots: t/t of leprosy,

scabies and influenza

Semecarpus anacardiummarking nut/ bhilawan

• Fruit is black, heart shape, having rough projection at base.

• Fleshy pericarp contains thick, oily, acrid juice which turns black when mixed with lime and exposed to air

• Active principle: bhilawanol, semicarpol

Sign and symptoms• On skin: irritation and painful blister.• lesion resembles bruise which may

ulcerate and slough

• F.D.: 5- 10 gm• F.P. : 12- 24 hr

Medico-legal importance• Accidental• Artificial bruise• Criminal abortion• Malingering : conjunctivitis• vitriolage

Difference

Artificial bruise• Cause : chemical• Situation: accessible• Appearance : blister formation• Colour changes: absent• Ecchymosis: absent• Content: acrid serum• Itching present• Analysis chemical

present

True bruise• Trauma• Anywhere• No blister• Present• Present • Extravasated blood• Absent• Absent• Negative

Ergot • Dried fungus Claviceps purpurea which

grows on stale grains particularly rye , wheat, barley and maize

• Active principle: alkaloids- ergotoxin, ergotamine and ergometrine

• MoA: vaso-constricting agent and stimulates smooth ms contraction of arterioles , intestine and uterus

Acute poisoning

• Nausea , vomiting and diarrhoea• Respiratory distress• Paraesthesias, ms cramps• Dizziness, dilated pupil, bleeding from

nose, unconciousess

• F.D. : 1-2 gm

Chronic poisoning

• Convulsive type: twitching, tingling, numbness and painful contraction of voluntary muscles, headache, drowsiness, giddiness, formification and convulsions

• Gangrenous type: resembles raynaud’s disease (St. Anthony’s fire), numbness tingling anaesthesia, may be dry gangrene in fingers toes, ears, nose, hands

Treatment

• Symptomatic• emesis• Nitroprusside or nitroglycerine • Prazocine, captopril, nifedipine and

cyproheptidine for limb ischaemia • phenobarbital

MLI:

• Accidental poisoning• Abortifacient