The World Strangest Poisons

There is not the most poisonous in the world, only more poisonous. Introduce several powerful and toxic compounds in nature, I hope you will never come across.

Phorbol

Poison guava is one of the most poisonous trees in nature. It is also known as the “tree of death” and is native to tropical regions of southern North America and parts of Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America.

It contains highly toxic substances from the trunk, leaves and fruits! With just a small drop, you can severely burn your skin. And only a little bite of seemingly ordinary little fruits to send you into the ICU.

What’s more weird is that the compounds in the poisonous guava juice are water-soluble! This means that if you hide under this tree from the rain on a rainy day, those highly toxic substances will fall on your skin through the rain.

The most poisonous compound known to be poison guava is “PHORBOL”, which has high carcinogenic activity and mitogen activity. Touching it can cause swelling of the body. It can burn the skin and respiratory tract, and cause severe inflammation. If consumed, it will directly lead to death, and there is currently no effective antidote.

Batrachotoxin

Poison dart frogs are mainly distributed in tropical rain forests such as Brazil, Guyana, Chile, etc. As one of the most toxic species in the world, it is well known. The golden poison frog is the “most of the best” of highly poisonous species. Its skin is covered with mucus containing “BATRACHOTOXIN”. The poison in a golden dart frog can kill ten adults in three minutes.

Batrachotoxin from dart frog can make people permanently lose the ability to send chemical signals to the heart and central nerves. When the human body loses these functions, it means general paralysis and heart failure. Moreover, it is not antidote.

Ricin

At the end of the 1970s, a “Bulgarian journalist murder” had a sensation in the world. Bulgarian journalist Georgi Markov, exiled in the UK, was “unintentionally” stabbed in the street by a “passenger” umbrella, then died of poisoning. This case is one of the most bizarre and mysterious murders during the Cold War. Later, it was verified that Markov was shot with metal beads containing ricin.

Ricin, derived from castor beans, is a highly toxic plant protein with two peptide chains. The toxin prevents cells in the body from producing new proteins and causes cell death. Children at 4–7 years old can cause poisoning and death by taking 2–7 capsules of castor beans. 20 capsules can be lethal in adults. If you take ricin, your organs will fail quickly along with severe vomiting and diarrhea. Coincidentally, there is no antidote to ricin.

Gold salts (Sodium aurothiomalate, Auranofin)

Gold poisoning is caused by gold-containing salt compounds, such as Sodium Aurothiomalate and Auranofin for rheumatoid arthritis, which block joints by binding to immunoglobulin complement development of inflammation.

But we don’t need much gold in our body. Gold poisoning can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Long-term chronic poisoning can also make the skin become purple gray. In this case, we can use Penicillamine as a chelating agent to combine with gold ions to form a ring complex for detoxification.

Botulinum toxin

Botulinum Toxin is a neurotoxin containing high-molecular-weight proteins produced by botulinum, often derived from canned food contaminated by botulinum toxin, and is currently the most toxic biological toxin known in natural toxins and synthetic poisons.

Our bodies use a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine to help convey information. Botox can inhibit the release of acetylcholine from nerve endings, prevent muscle movement, and cause paralysis. Respiratory muscle paralysis is the main cause of death.

Fortunately, botulinum toxin has an antidote, but unfortunately, the antidote cannot repair the damage that the body has caused, it can only stop the botulinum toxin from continuing to harm the body. Because botulinum toxin can relax muscles and reduce wrinkles, injection of botulinum toxin has become a popular item in beauty salons in recent years. Although it is diluted after injection, you must know that it is still the most toxic known on the planet.