Nandina domestica 南天竺

POISONOUS PARTS

Whole plant.⁴

TOXICITY

• Toxic Constituents

  Hydrocyanic acid, nandinine and nantenine.^5,6

• Mechanism

  Hydrocyanic acid binds to iron of cytochrome oxidase a3, leading to uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation. The toxic mechanisms of nandinine and nantenine remain unidentified.⁷

• Poisoning Features

  Numbness, convulsion, pulmonary haemorrhage and even death.^5,6

CLINICAL MANAGEMENT

Supportive treatment.

IDENTIFICATION FEATURES

Evergreen shrubs, 1.5–2 m tall. Stems tufted, unbranched. Leaves bipinnate or tripinnate, 30–50 cm long, pinnae opposite; leaflets 1.5–4(–7) × 0.8–1.5(–2) cm, apex apiculate, margin entire. Panicles terminal, erect, 13–25 cm long. Petals 6, white, 6–7.5 × 3–3.5 mm, sub-scarious. Stamens 6, 4.5–5 mm long, yellow. Styles very short. Berries about 8 mm in diameter, scarlet.⁸

MEDICINAL USES

Uses in TCM—fruits: constrain the lung to suppress cough, reduce wheezing, clear the liver, improve vision; roots: clear heat and remove toxin, dispel wind, remove dampness, suppress cough and resolve phlegm; leaves: clear heat and drain dampness, purge fire, remove toxin. Recommended dose: fruits 6–15 g, roots 9–15 g, leaves 9–15 g.^2,9

LABORATORY ANALYSIS

Nandinine and nantenine can be detected by LC-MS and LC-MS/MS.^10,11