Adenium obesum 天寶花

POISONOUS PARTS

Whole plant, especially the sap.^2,3

TOXICITY

• Toxic Constituents

  Cardiac glycosides such as obebioside B.^4,5

• Mechanism

  Cardiac glycosides inhibit Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase of the myocardium, increase its excitability and may lead to arrhythmias.^6–8

• Poisoning Features

  Poisoning is not well documented in humans. Animal poisoning reports showed digitalis-like toxicity, principally arrhythmias.³

CLINICAL MANAGEMENT

Supportive treatment. Multiple-dose activated charcoal therapy has been used for gastrointestinal decontamination in cardiac glycoside poisoning, and digoxin-specific antibody has been used as an antidote.^9,10

IDENTIFICATION FEATURES

Shrubby tree, 0.5–3.5 m tall, with white latex, succulent; bark grey, shiny. Leaves subsessile, alternate toward the apex of shoots; leaf blades 7.6–12.5 × 2–7.6 cm. Umbels; corolla red to white, tubes funnelform, with white villous and red-striped within the throat. Fruits (7–)10–18 × 0.8–1.5 cm, pale grey-brown. Seeds 1–1.5 × 0.2–0.3 cm, pale brown, with coma.¹¹

LABORATORY ANALYSIS

Obebioside B can be detected by NMR.⁵