The Nicotiana Glauca plant, also known as kale, fake mustard, Palestinian mustard or wild tobacco, is a toxic plant that when consumed can cause symptoms such as difficulty walking, loss of movement in the legs or respiratory arrest.
This plant is easily confused with common cabbage and can be easily found in the rural area of the municipality of Divinópolis, which makes it even more dangerous, because when young it can be easily confused with common and harmless plants. These plants can be especially dangerous for those who live and work in the field, having in their composition anabasin, a substance highly toxic to the organism.
Main Symptoms of Intoxication
After ingesting this plant appear, symptoms of intoxication usually appear which include:
- Nausea; Vomiting; Severe diarrhea; Difficulty walking; Paralysis in the legs; Difficulty breathing and respiratory arrest.
In the presence of any of these symptoms it is recommended to go to the hospital as soon as possible, as in the most severe cases poisoning with this plant can lead to death.
Why is it toxic?
This plant is toxic to the organism because it has in its composition Anabasin, a toxic substance used in insecticides.
Although this plant belongs to the tobacco plant family, it does not contain Nicotine in its composition and is therefore not used in tobacco production.
How to identify this Poisonous plant
To identify this deadly plant it is important to pay attention to its characteristics that resemble those of cabbage, which include:
- When young it is small, having a stem and some leaves, green leaves, large and wide, slightly pointed, When adult it looks like a shrub, having long stems; Yellow cone-shaped flowers.
This plant represents a greater danger when it is young and small, as it is at this stage that it can be easily confused with common cabbage. However, in adulthood it remains dangerous and toxic to the organism, and should not be consumed or ingested.
