Following is the table of all the major active principles of plant toxins along with their common names, and toxic plant parts that are quite helpful in your examination of forensic medicine and toxicology.
S.No. | Botanical Name | Common Names | Toxic Parts | Active Principle |
1 | Abrus precatorius | Jequirity bean or rosary pea | Seeds (mainly), root and stem leaves | Abrin |
2 | Aconitum Napellus | Aconite, Monkshood | Flower and leaves | Aconitine |
3 | Aesculus hippocastanum | Horse chestnut | All parts especially seeds | Esculin |
4 | Alocasia macrorrhiza | Giant taro, elephant ear | All parts | Insoluble calcium oxalate |
5 | Amanita phalloides | Death cap (mushroom) | Cap and stem | Alpha-amanitin |
6 | Antiaris toxicaria | Upas tree, Antiaris | Leaves and bark | Antiarin |
7 | Argemone mexicana | Mexican poppy, flowering thistle | All parts especially seeds | Sanguinarine, Dihydrosanguinarine |
8 | Atropa belladonna | Belladonna, Deadly nightshade | All parts | Scopolamine, atropine, hyoscine, and hyoscyamine |
9 | Calotropis procera | Sodom apple, stabragh, king’s crown, rubber bush | All parts, roots and stem are more toxic | Calotropin, Calotropage, Cardenolides (calactin, calotoxin, and uscharin), |
10 | Cannabis sativa/ Indica | Indian hemp, hashish | Leaves, flower, fruit, stem | Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), Cannabinol (CBN), Cannabinoids (CBD) |
11 | Catha edulis | Kath, qat | Buds and tender leaves | Cathinone |
12 | Cerbara odollum | Dabur, suicide tree, pong-pong, mintolla | Fruit and seed | Cerberin (difficult to detect in autopsies) |
13 | Cerbera thevetia | Yellow oleander, pilakaner, bastard oleander | All parts, especially leaves and fruits | Thevetin, thevitoxin, nerifolin |
14 | Cleistanthus collinus | NA | Leaves and bark | Oduvin (Diphyllin, Cleistanthin A and B) |
15 | Colchicum Autumnale | Meadow saffron, Autumn crocus, nakey lady) | Corn, seeds, and flower | Colchicine |
16 | Conium Maculatum | Hemlock | All parts toxic. Most toxic unripe seeds | Coniine andγ -coniceine |
17 | Convallaria Majalis | Lily of the Valley | All parts, esp. flower, fruit | Convallatoxin |
18 | Crotolaria spectabilis | Showy rattlebox or showy rattle pod | All parts | Monocrotaline |
19 | Croton tiglium | Croton tiglium, Jamal-gota | Seeds and oil | Ricin |
20 | Daphne Odora | Winter daphne | Flower and berries | Diterpenoids |
21 | Datura stramonium, Brugmansia | Angel’s Trumpet (thorn apple, Jimsonweed) | All parts | Tropane alkaloidshyoscine (scopolamine), hyoscyamine, and atropine |
22 | Digitalis purpurea linn | Yellow broom, fox glove | Seed, leaves and Twigs | Digitoxin |
23 | Erythroxylum coca | Coke, snow | Leaves | cocaine (methylbenzoylecgonine) |
24 | Euonymus Europeaus | Spindle tree | Fruits | Evobioside, Evomonoside |
25 | Euphorbia helioscopia | Sun spurge | Milky latex | Phorbol esters in latex, Tripenoids |
26 | Gloriosa superb | Superb lily, flame lily andkalihari | Tubers and roots | colchicine, gloriosine, superbrine |
27 | Laburnum Anagyroides | golden chain or rain | All parts | Cytisine highest conc. in ripe seeds and seed pods |
28 | Lophophora wiliamsii | Devine cactus (Peyote) | Cactus | Phenethylamine, mescaline |
29 | Nerium oleander | White oleander, kaner, Oleander, Laurier rose | All parts | Oleandrin (most toxic in seeds) |
30 | Nicotiana tabaccum | Tobacco and tambaku | All parts except ripe seeds | Coniine |
31 | Papaver somniferum | Opium poppy and afim | Petals, stem, seeds and ripe driedcapsules | Opium |
32 | Partheniumhysterophorus | Carrot grass | Leaves and seeds | Parthenin |
33 | Phaseolus Vulgaris | Green Beans | Raw beans | Phasin |
34 | Piper methysticum | Yaqona (Magic Mushrooms) | Cap and stem | Psilocin and psilocybin |
35 | Plumbago rosea | Rakta chitraka | Root | Plumbagin |
36 | Prunus amygdalus | Almond, baadam | Rosaceae | Almond |
37 | Ricinus communis | Castor bean and oil | Seeds | lectin ricin |
38 | Strychnos nux vomica | Poison nut and kuchila | All parts especially seeds of ripe fruits | Strychnine and Brucine |
39 | Taxus baccata | Yew | All parts, except aril | Taxine B |