Organic Irritants: Plants and Vegetables 469

Clinical Features • Cerebral edema

1. Dermal manifestations: When abrin is injected in skin,
there will be inflammation, swelling, ecchymoses and
necrosis at the site. Similarly there will be faintness,
vertigo, vomiting, dyspnoea and convulsion occurs
before death. The symptoms resemble those of viper
snakebite.
2. Ocular exposure: Causes redness, chemosis, swelling and
conjunctivitis.
3. Oral ingestion: Causes pain in abdomen, vomiting, diar-
rhoea, bleeding per rectum, cardiac arrhythmias, convul-
sions and CNS depression.
Management
• Gastric lavage
• Supportive measures
• Convulsions can be controlled by diazepam/lorazepam
• Local exposure should be treated with copious irrigation
with plain water
Fatal Dose
• 1 to 2 crushed seeds
• 90 to 120 mg of abrin
Fatal period: 3 to 5 days
Autopsy Findings
• Local-fragments of needle or sui may be found in the
skin along with oedema, inflammation, local necrosis and
ecchymoses
• GIT-shows edematous bowel with hemorrhage4
• Liver, spleen, kidneys — congested
Medicolegal Importance
1. Accidental poisoning may occur in children while explor-
ing the seeds.
2. Homicide by sui prepared with abrin (sui is needle or
spike made with crushed seed alone or mixed with onion
paste. Then the needle is dried under sun. The sui is kept
between two fingers and is pushed into skin of other
person).
3. Cattle poison.
4. Malingerers use powder of abrus seed to produce con-
junctivitis.
5. When intact seeds are swallowed or when seeds are
boiled or cooked, they are not poisonous.
Castor
Botanical name: Ricinus communis
Common name: Castor, arandi
Features
• Castor plants are tall plants and grow all over India. The
plant bears lobate leaves with toothed margins (Fig. 37.4).
The fruits are globular and clustered with spiny projec-
tions over capsule (Fig. 37.5). The fruit contains castor
seeds (Fig. 37.6).
• Seeds are flattened-oval in shape and are available in
two sizes. Large variety seeds are mottled, dark brown
in color with shiny hard seed coat. Small variety seeds

Toxicology

B
Section 

Fig. 37.4: Castor plant Fig. 37.5: Castor fruit

 470 Principles of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology

Management
• Gastric lavage and administer activated charcoal
• The urine should be alkalinized with sodium bicarbo-
nate. This is to prevent precipitation of hemoglobin in
the renal tubules.7
• Supportive treatment
Fatal dose
• 5 to 10 seeds
• 1 mg/kg body weight for Ricin
Fatal period: 2 to few days

Autopsy Findings
• Mucosa of GIT may be inflamed with hemorrhages
• Crushed seeds with pericarp may be found in stomach
• Hemorrhages in organs.
Fig. 37.6: Castor seeds
Medicolegal Importance
are a about 1 to 2 cm X 0.8 cm in size and resembles
croton seeds (Fig. 37.7). 1. Accidental poisoning
Toxic part of plants: All parts of plant but seeds are more 2. Seeds are used for homicidal purpose
toxic 3. Used to procure criminal abortion
4. Cattle poison
Toxic Principle 5. Seed powder may be used to induce conjunctivitis for
malingering
• Ricin (toxalbumin) 6. Small variety seeds may be confused with croton seeds,
differences are mentioned in Table 37.2
Mechanism of Action 7. Can cause anaphylactic type of hypersensitivity in humans.8
• Ricin is composed of two polypeptide chains (A and B).
These chains are connected by a disulfide bond. Croton
• In GIT, chain “B” binds the cell surface and chain “A” Botanical name: Croton tiglium
enters into cytoplasm. Chain “A” acts on 60S ribosomal Common name: Nepala, Jamalgota, croton
unit of cell and disrupt protein synthesis.
Features
Clinical Features5
• Croton plant has elliptical leaves with metallic green in
• Abdominal pain color.
• Vomiting and diarrhea
• Dehydration Table 37.2: Showing difference between castor
• Convulsions and croton seeds
• Drowsiness Features Castor seed Croton seed
• Delirium
Toxicology

Appearance Grayish brown, Dark brown,

• Hepatic failure
mottled, glossy non-glossy, not
• Oliguria mottled
• Uremia Shape Flattened-oval in Oval
• Death may be due to multiorgan failure or cardiovascular shape
B collapse
Cross section Lumen is almost The lumen
• The pulp of seed contains allergenic glycoprotein, which
Section 

at tip circular is slit like

may cause dermatitis, rhinitis, asthma, and conjunctivitis with radiating
in allergic individuals.1, 6 creases