There are a huge number of poisonous mushrooms and plants. It is almost impossible to list all of them, especially since there are such in every corner of the planet. In any case, dangerous plants with their poison can cause significant harm to human health. Moreover, deaths are known. But all this could have been avoided. Let's talk with you about what poisonous plants and mushrooms exist, what consequences they cause and how to avoid this.
General information
In different species of poisonous plants, poison is located either in the stem, or in the leaves, or in the berries, or even in the roots. Therefore, it is not in vain that forest animals choose what to eat, because they know what you can eat and what you can’t. But before delving into this topic in more detail, let us give a definition.
Poisonous plants are those that can lead to poisoning by human or animal toxins. These include representatives of the flora, both temporarily containing poisons, and constantly. You need to understand that in this group a fairly large number of subgroups. The degree of toxicity of the poison is determined by the amount and density of the content of chemicals and other compounds. Usually talk about coumarins, alkaloids, glycosides, etc.
Moreover, the degree of toxicity depends not only on the type of plant, but also on its age, as well as the phase of vegetation. So, often young mushrooms are less toxic than old ones, and vice versa. Some herbs become the most dangerous during flowering, while others - when the fruit ripens. Typically, the poison is concentrated in various organs in different quantities, but there are species where all the toxins are concentrated in one place. If we talk about which plant is the most dangerous for human life, we can answer this way: where the concentration of poison reaches its maximum. Often these are young mushrooms and herbs, which, when dried, are no longer so dangerous. Of course, it makes sense to talk about other factors that affect the concentration of toxins. Here, the soil, the place of growth, weather conditions, etc., matters.
Industrial and domestic poisoning
Industrial poisoning is usually not as severe as domestic. They arise as a result of the work of enterprise employees with poisonous plants. Usually this is the cultivation, collection, and processing of herbs for medicinal needs. But, as a rule, minor poisoning can occur due to ingestion of poison in a person’s stomach, contact with skin, and also through the respiratory tract. In the worst case scenario, everything ends with a short-term loss of performance. This is due to the fact that, subject to safety rules, employees of enterprises are practically not exposed to harmful effects. They work in special suits and respirators and are unlikely to taste mushrooms or plants.
But domestic poisoning is already a much more serious thing. Often, mushroom poisoning ends in death. This is usually due to the fact that the doctor was called too late, or the dose was fatal.
Edible herbs are often confused with poisonous herbs, which are a kind of doubles. An overdose of medicinal herbs used for external use is a rarity. However, this also happens. Sometimes folk healers advise to use this or that tincture, which not only does not give the desired result, but can also cause serious health problems. You probably already understood that there is no unequivocal answer to the question of which plant is life threatening. The fact is that there are hundreds and even thousands of them. Let's try to consider the main ones.
Dangerous houseplants
First of all, I would like to start with the fact that almost everyone in the house has it - with indoor flowers. Of course, not everyone has dangerous specimens, but those who have them usually do not know about this. Nevertheless warned - means armed. In any case, if you decide to buy a poisonous flower for your own reasons, make sure that children or animals do not reach it, otherwise the consequences can be most sad.
The most common hazardous house plants are members of the family euphorbiaceae, as well as aroid. Skin contact can lead to burns and swelling, but if the juice enters the body, then there is a high probability of severe poisoning. This is due to damage to the mucous membrane of the digestive system and central nervous system. You need to be careful with the usual flower for many - poinsettia. And even the juice of the same tulips or hyacinths must be washed off hands. Of course, the probability of getting a serious burn is negligible, but if you touch the mucous membrane of the eye with such a hand, then the sensations will not be pleasant.
If you decide to make yourself something from the nightshade or kurtov family, then remember that their fruits are poisonous. In principle, hazardous houseplants with proper handling do not create unnecessary problems, but again, you must always be alert, do not drink the juice of plants, do not eat poisonous berries, and everything will be in order.
About the most poisonous mushrooms
Mushroom poisoning is perhaps one of the most severe. Most often they lead to death. That is why it is necessary to go to the forest with a good mushroom picker. Of course, if you already have experience, then you can do it yourself. But only mushrooms must be collected exclusively known. A pale toadstool, trapped in a basket and fried in a pan, for example, can kill even a person with strong immunity, although much depends on the dose. The more poison gets into the body, the less chance of survival. The poison is very resistant to heat treatment, so eating such a mushroom even boiled, even dried is not recommended. Many healers advise using a pale toadstool for external use. Its effectiveness has been proven for a long time, but you need to be extremely careful. Toadstool has a white skirt and plates, by which it can be easily distinguished from other mushrooms.
Mushrooms are often confused with panther fly agaric or smelly grebe. If in the first case the poisoning is not so serious, then the smelly grebe is very dangerous. The severity of poisoning with such a fungus can be compared with a pale toadstool. One cannot fail to mention such a mushroom as the most beautiful cobweb. Poisoning them often ends in death. This is due to the fact that the first symptoms occur only 5-10 days after eating.
So we looked at some dangerous plants and mushrooms. Now let's move on, as we still have something to talk about.
The most dangerous plants for humans
On the territory of the Russian Federation there is a huge number of poisonous plants, nevertheless, many know about them, therefore poisoning with various herbs is quite rare. But still you need to know what can be collected and used, and what is not. Especially if you have never done this before. Aconite, better known as a wrestler, is very common in central Russia. This herb is completely poisonous, but the highest concentration of toxins is in the leaves and roots. It is enough to eat only 2-3 grams of any part of aconite, and a fatal outcome is guaranteed. These are very dangerous plants for humans. Not in vain before, before going into battle, cold steel was abundantly smeared with aconite.
Many plants in the nightshade family cause severe poisoning. This should include belladonna, bleach, dope, etc. Another dangerous representative is tsikuta. About 200 grams of roots kill an adult cow. The root and stem has an attractive smell, but it does not attract animals. They only get poisoned if they accidentally eat a cycut.
Few people might think that lilies of the valley are also dangerous. For example, their juice can affect the functioning of the heart and cause serious problems. Now let's look at other dangerous plants and mushrooms.
In the forest and in the field
Everyone knows that wolf berries are dangerous. This is very often said to children, and those, out of spite, are eager to try them. They do have toxins that can lead to poisoning. However, it is almost impossible to die from a wolf bast. This is due to the fact that the berries, although they have an attractive appearance, but they taste, to put it mildly, not very. Therefore, even a child usually manages to eat only one fruit, which can only cause vomiting.
But hogweed is much more dangerous. Its juice makes human skin vulnerable to sunlight. In this case, you can get serious burns, even if you are in the shade. If you eat a little hogweed, you can get a mental disorder. Of course, it will be reversible, but good is not enough.
The most dangerous plant for livestock is buttercup. It is worth noting that these plants never give animals fresh. This is due to the fact that livestock can be poisoned. However, after drying, the poison is destroyed, and cows and rabbits can be fed with this hay. All of the above plants are actively used in medicine. For example, it is difficult to overestimate the effectiveness of celandine in dermatology or oncology.
The most poisonous plants in the world
We can safely say that the most dangerous plant on the entire planet Earth is mancinella. Information about this representative of the flora is even listed in the Guinness Book of Records. In appearance, this is a rather unremarkable tree growing in the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Only for us it is unknown, and every local resident knows that it is better to bypass it. Moreover, such trees are outlined with a red marker or covered with tape, which symbolizes danger.
Often, the mancinella tree grows very large, up to 15 meters in height. But a completely logical question arises: "Why not just destroy it, since a person can die because of it?" Firstly, people are trying to preserve this species, and secondly, many have already tried to do it without permission. But the main problem is that it burns reluctantly, and the resulting smoke leads to serious poisoning. The mancinella tree is completely poisonous. This is a very dangerous plant for human health, and often poisoning leads to death. Fruits very similar to apples grow on a tree and they look appetizing. However, fruits, leaves, and even bark all contain lethal doses of toxins. If a little juice gets on the skin, then a terrible burn and swelling are definitely provided.
The most dangerous animal
Plants by plants, but if you do not touch them, they will not harm you. A completely different situation is with animals. At the sight of poisonous snakes, frogs and spiders, it is better to bypass them, and not try to drive them away.
The most poisonous animal in the world is cubomedusa. It got its name because of its shape. The appearance of this marine inhabitant is very attractive, but the poison kills a person in a few minutes. Over the past 60 years, about 6 thousand swimmers have died from the poison of cubomedusa. This is a pretty impressive figure. Toxins affect the skin cells, central nervous system, as well as the heart. It is noteworthy that usually the victim is conscious and experiences hellish pain. If this happened in the water, then there is practically no chance of salvation. However, if you quickly react and treat the wound with acetic acid, you can survive. Usually, a person immediately experiences a state of shock. If the victim of the bite does not sink, then he dies from cardiac arrest.
In addition to cubomedusa and the herbs described above, there are also other dangerous animals and plants in the world that lead to death, and a huge number of them. But now let's talk about how to avoid this.
How to avoid poisoning and what to do if it happened?
You must understand that almost any poisoning or bite of a poisonous animal can be neutralized. Exceptions are only a few cases. The first thing that is required of you is to study dangerous animals and plants. If you are traveling, take a first aid kit with you. Believe me: it can save your life, and if it doesn’t come in handy, then it’s for the best.
It often happens that it is difficult to understand which plant is hazardous to health and which is not. For example, if you wanted to try a little-known fruit, then you need to do this very carefully. First, a so-called skin test is performed. It lies in the fact that the juice of the fruit is rubbed into the delicate areas of the skin. If burning or irritation does not occur, then a small amount of juice smear the corner of the lips. After trying to chew the fruit, but the flesh spits out. If after 2-3 hours the first signs of poisoning did not appear, then the dose can be slightly increased.
But if poisoning did happen, it is necessary to remove the poison from the body as soon as possible. Do this by consuming large amounts of water. Typically, the liquid is diluted with a solution of potassium permanganate or soda. Water will dilute the poison and weaken its effect. Vomiting in this case is a normal reaction. Bites of spiders and snakes require more careful processing. It is impossible to suck out the poison, as it can get into the wounds in the mouth.
