Friday, July 1, 2016

Medicine That Can Kill Or Cure...!

Actually, I don't think the medicine can kill ya, but rather the ingredients.

I guess I was lucky in the fact that I never took any Castor Oil, but I heard that it tasted really bad. Most medicine tends to taste less than good, in my opinion. Aspirin, which is my go to for aches and pains, taste terrible if you let it dissolve on the tongue.

Castor plants



Thinking back to the time your mother forced Castor oil down your throat, I bet you would never have guessed that it came from the most poisonous plant in the world (even if it did taste like it).

Castor plants are indigenous to the Mediterranean basin, eastern Africa and India, but are widely grown as an ornamental plant. A toxin called ricin is found throughout the plant, but is concentrated in the seeds/beans (which castor oil is made from). One raw seed is enough to kill a human in 2 days, which makes for a long, agonizing and unstoppable death. The first symptoms will be experienced within a few hours and will include a burning sensation in the throat & mouth, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. The process is unstoppable and the final cause of death will be dehydration.

Strangely, humans are the most sensitive to these seeds, as it takes 1-4 to kill a full grown human, 11 to kill a dog and a whopping 80 seeds to kill a duck. The castor plant currently holds the Guinness World Record for most poisonous plant.

Guess it lends new meaning to the saying "If it don't kill ya, it will make you stronger!"

Coffee out on the patio, hot as it is!

5 comments:

Chickenmom said...

That explains why we would shudder as kids when Mom started towards us with that bottle and spoon...

linda m said...

Boy, I remember my Mom and the Castor Oil bottle. Thankfully it went out of style. I had no idea about the castor plant being so poisonous. Good stuff to know. Cooler here today but very humid. Have a great weekend.

JO said...

I don't remember mom giving me that stuff I guess if it was that nasty I would remember. The plant is really pretty.

HermitJim said...

Hey Phyllis...
Yeah...you just knew that some things were going to taste BAD!
Thanks for stopping by today!


Hey Linda...
The plant is something I would avoid if possible. As far as the Castor Oil, I'll bet the majority tried to avoid it as well!
Thanks for coming over today!


Hey Jo...
Some mom's didn't use it, while others swore by the stuff! It is a pretty plant, though.
Thanks, sweetie, for dropping by today!

Janet said...

From what I have read, highly refined castor is beneficial . . . just 2 to 3 drops in some milk. Castor oil is very healing and beneficial when used on the skin.

My grandma gave us cod liver oil which was just awful.