Jatropha curcas 麻瘋樹

POISONOUS PARTS

Seeds.⁴

TOXICITY

• Toxic Constituents

  Curcin and phorbol esters.^5–7

• Toxic Dose

  3 seeds can be toxic. Reported lethal dose: 7–8 seeds.^2,8

• Mechanism

  Curcin, a toxalbumin, inactivates ribosome and hence inhibits protein synthesis. Phorbol esters have purgative effect.^5,8,9

• Poisoning Features

  Nausea, vomiting, severe diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vertigo, delirium, muscle twitching, convulsion and haemolysis. Respiratory failure, circulatory failure and death in severe cases.^5,7,8,10

• Poisoning Events

  Multiple cases of J. curcas poisoning after accidental ingestion of the seeds, most commonly in children, have been reported worldwide. Most patients recovered uneventfully but fatal case has also been reported.^8,9,11–13

CLINICAL MANAGEMENT

Supportive treatment. Correction of fluid and electrolyte disturbances. Activated charcoal therapy has been used for gastrointestinal decontamination in J. curcas poisoning.^5,7,11

IDENTIFICATION FEATURES

Shrubs or treelets, 2–5 m tall, with watery juice; branches stout. Leaves palmately divided; petioles 6–18 cm long; leaf blades 7–18 × 6–16 cm, not lobed or 3–5-lobed, palmately 5–7-veined. Cymes axillary, 6–10 cm long. Petals yellowish green, about 0.6 cm long, connate up to middle. Capsules 2.5–3 cm long. Seeds 1.5–2 cm long, ellipsoidal, black.¹⁴

MEDICINAL USES

Bark and leaves used in TCM: dissipate stasis and disperse swelling, stanch bleeding and relieve pain, kill parasites and relieve itching. For external use only.²

LABORATORY ANALYSIS

Phorbol esters can be detected by LC-MS/MS.¹⁵