How poisonous or toxic plants are hurt to the human?

1. Ingestion
2. Inhalation
3. By Contacting

1. Ingestion :- Consumption of any part of Poisonous plants through the mouth. This is the most dangerous circumstances than others that occurs fatal effect to a life. That may be possible in several ways. Those are,
   1. Accidentally
      • Eating or drinking Children and adults mostly by children Example: - Glory Lily (Niyangala in Sinhalese), Castor Bean (Beheth Endaru)
      • Fail to identification Correctly Example: -Mushroom
      • Careless Usage - When collecting medicinal plants for remedies Example: -see below - Avoid Poisonous plants
   2. Misconception or unawareness
      • Improper cooking Example: -Mushroom, Manhot
      • Some edible plants are should use in certain period. Example: - Leaves of Manhot
      • Unknown fruits eat because of birds or animals was eaten
   3. In suicidal
      • Major cause in Sri Lanka that people who have suicidal tendency because Drug or alcohol use, Stressful life issues, financial or relationship problems. Commonly in north Central province Example:- Kaneru , Niyangala
   4. Homicidal
      • Rare - mostly seed or tubers mix with sugar or alcohol Example:- Bitter Nut (Goda Kaduru) - Strychnine/ Brucine
      • As a Bio Weapons, Pesticides Aerosol Example :- Beheth Endaru
   5. Stupefying
      • mixed with sweets, alcohol, or cigarettes for plunder, or depredation and rapes Example :- Atthana, Kansa, Dunkola
2. Inhalation :-When poison absorb by the skin or breathing such as a smoke or vapors
   1. Accidentally
      • Children and adults Example :- Dumkola, Angel Trumpet.
   2. Habituation
      • When overdose
      • Example: -Dun Kola, Kansa.
   3. Homicidal
      • Mixed with smokes like cigarettes for robbery and rapes Example: -Kansa Dunkola Atthana
3. By Contacting :- It may be,
1. Accidentally
   • Accidentally touching the toxin plants mostly when visiting in forest or scrubs This is not a fatal but occurs rash, irritation or itching on the skin, Example:- Kahambiliya, Korasa
   • Poisonous Thorn-Mostly when visiting in forest or scrubs.This is maybe fatal Example: -Siam weed - Chromolaena odorata
2. Overdose
   • Improper usage in traditional Ayurvedic system without a knowledgeable
     Example:- Sap of Crown Flower ( Wara in Sinhalese), Badulla, Divi Kaduru (Sap)
     Beheth Endaru- Castor Bean

How identify the poisonous plants?

• Hence, Consider the following conditions about the plants
  1. Some plants has both edible and poisonous parts
  2. All parts of the some plants are poisonous
  3. Even some fruits are commonly edible but their seeds are poisonous
  4. A Plants poisonous to the birds or animal but not to the human
  5. Unripe fruits are poisonous while it is edible when the ripe
  6. Some foods are should use in certain period
  7. The foods that obtaining from improper cultivation can be poison
  8. The foods are poisonous when improper cooking method.
  9. After the boiled, some plants (parts) are edible but the raw parts is poison
  10. All the poisonous plants are cannot be edible after the boiled
  11. After the fade or wilt, some plants are poison
  12. Poisonous plants display their characteristic may seems that just as edible plants
  13. Some plants are toxic if contacted but that can be Edible
  14. No certain amount of poisonous-Some is poison by large amount but some small amount can be fatal that the same plant or among to other plants
  15. Each plant has different properties from its growth phase : some plants become toxic when the plants is mature
  16. With the toxicity of some plants, symptoms occur immediately after absorb or sometime it may be after a few days later
• Discussing above usages will prove, which identification the poisonous plants is very complicate and there is no regular way to recognize the plant that it has poison. The best way to determine the plants is investigate with a Plant Research Laboratory because “The Safety is the best"

Some misleading conditions about poisoned plants

• These are always not true
  1. Wild plants are poisonous than other plants
  2. The plants that eat birds or animal are edible to the people and vice versa.
  3. Boiling Poisonous plants can remove their poison
  4. Creepers poisonous than trees

How avoid disastrous effects from the poisonous plants?

• Consider followings to avoid to damage, harm, or injury from poisonous plants
  1. Some people have a bad habit that is with the unknown plants, picked and crush then sniff or chew the leaves to identify the plant. Extremely avoid this because of it maybe a cause to poison enter the body via inhalation, ingestion, or through the skin.Please be note, if you chewed young leaves of "Walla Patta” plant, will cause to loss your teeth within few days. As well as removing leaves from the plants will impair to growth of the plants and, it is remind you again, All plants that both poisonous or not, are important managers of the Ecosystem.
  2. Do not eat any fruits, flowers, and plants, from anywhere which those are not recognized as edible
  3. With the vegetable, be careful when cooking such as potato, tomato, and Egg-plant which may be include Solanine. Never eat green part of potatoes.
  4. Unknown mushroom not be use until correctly identified
  5. Any medicinal plants that are recognized as poisonous plants, Avoid cultivate in home gardens as polyculture
     
     Golden-eye-grass-curculigo-bin-thal with Glory lily"
  6. Avoid smoke from burning plants
  7. If you suspect you or someone are become plant poisoning, immediately consult your doctor.
  8. Explain to the children or unaware people about how handle the poisonous plants
  9. If some ornamental plants in the home gardens, which those are known as poisonous, restrict the access them and indicate the plants that are poisonous and attach useful information including the scientific name or common names
  10. Keep seeds, fruits, or any parts of the plants away from children even it is none poisonous
  11. Investigate the plants in your home gardens. learn about Scientific name, common names and other characteristics. Common names may be vary in different areas. Describe to the youngsters about important of the medicinal plants and how to use them in safe way. You can find information from the various associations in your area such as Agricultural Research Centers, Herbaria, and horticultural societies. Also, browsing the internet is easy way to obtain the useful information.
  12. In Sri Lanka, you can find information of unknown plants from The National Herbarium at Peradeniya that administrate by Department of National Botanic Gardens - Sri Lanka.