Castor Bean

• toxic part: the seeds (contain ricin, one of the most toxic substances known to nature)

• what happens: ricin shuts down protein synthesis in cells. just 4-8 chewed seeds can kill an adult. 1-3 for a child

• timeline: symptoms in 4-36 hours (severe abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, then organ failure), death in 3-5 days

• antidote: NONE. only supportive care

• common mistake: kids eating the pretty mottled seeds, jewelry makers stringing them as beads (lethal sap exposure)

emergency: poison control + ER

4-8 chewed seeds = adult death. seeds sold openly as "tropical foliage" plants and even in necklace beads

oil