Why is the Castor Plant Deadly?
Castor beans contain a protein called ricin and an alkaloid ricinine, which are extremely toxic. Comparatively, ricin is more toxic and is also present in the other parts of the plant in small amounts. Inhalation, ingestion or injection of ricin hinders protein synthesis in human beings. 0.5 mg of ricin is sufficient to cause death of a human being. It takes four seeds to kill a rabbit, and six to kill a horse. If the seed is ingested as a whole , it will come out of the digestive tract, without harming the person/animal. But it is more dangerous to chew the seed or ingest a broken one. The symptoms of ricin poisoning depend on the kind of exposure to the poison. In case of ingestion (which is the most common type of exposure to this poison), the symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, low blood pressure, excessive sweating and convulsions. If the person does not die after three to four days from the date of poisoning, the chances of his/her survival are high. There is no remedy for this
