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The
Oleander (Nerium oleander) is a common ornamental
evergreen shrub. It is used as a freeway median divider
in warmer states, such
as California and Texas. This plant is extremely toxic,
and a single leaf may kill an adult. Poisoning has
occurred when people use the branches for a skewer to
roast hot dogs over a fire. The Nerium and yellow
oleander are both poisonous plants. Accidental
poisoning can occur by ingestion (as little as one leaf
of the Nerium oleander may be lethal in
children), by inhalation of smoke from
burning oleander, or from the use of
 medical
preparations from the leaves of oleander
which have been used as treatments for
malaria, leprosy, venereal diseases, and to induce
abortions. Oleander is also
used as an animal poison, which is best illustrated by
its role as a rat poison. All parts of the
Nerium oleander are poisonous, primarily due
to the contained cardiac
glycosides of which oleandrin is the principal
toxin. The bark also contains rosagenin which has
strychnine like actions. The clinical
features of oleander poisoning are therefore
similar to digoxin toxicity and include nausea,
vomiting and ventricular
fibrillation. |
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