Gastrointestinal irritants

Gastrointestinal irritants: how soon does it show?

Thirty minutes to three hours: the short latency is reassuring, since the deadly syndromes come later.

How does it run?

Vomiting, cramps, and diarrhoea for a day; dangerous only through dehydration in the old and the very young.

What is done for it?

Fluids.

Historical and descriptive, not medical advice. In a poisoning, call a poison centre or emergency services.

Which substances in the database cause it?

B

PlantBryonyBrionia White bryony, Bryonia dioica (now Bryonia cretica subsp. dioica), whose large root was sold as a false mandrake.CanaleCaution

C

PlantCaper spurgeLatiri; cataputia minore Euphorbia lathyris.CanaleCaution

C

PlantCastor-oil plant, seeds ofRicino; kerua; grano regale Ricinus communis; Canale gives mirasole as its local name.CanaleCaution

C

PlantColocynthBitter apple; coloquintida The dried pulp of Citrullus colocynthis.Caution

C

FungusCommon earthballScleroderma citrinum A hard, yellow-brown ball with a black interior, of acid woodland.Caution

C

PlantCyclamen, greaterCiclamino; pan porcino Sowbread, Cyclamen purpurascens or C. hederifolium, eaten by pigs, hence the name.CanaleCaution

H

FungusHoney fungusArmillaria species Honey-colored clusters on stumps and trees, from black cords, the “shoestrings,” that spread beneath the bark.

J

FungusJack-o’-lanternOmphalotus olearius and O. illudens An orange mushroom clustered on the stumps and roots of olive and other hardwood trees.Caution

J

PlantJalapJalapa; the root of Xalapa Ipomoea purga, a Mexican morning glory whose tuber was shipped from the town of Xalapa.Caution

L

FungusLivid pinkgillEntoloma sinuatum A large grey mushroom with pinkish gills, of broadleaf woods.Caution

M

PlantMeadow saffronColchicum; hermodactyl Colchicum autumnale.Deadly

M

PlantMelon rootRadice di pepone Root of the melon plant, Cucumis melo.Canale

M

PlantMistletoeViscum; all-heal Viscum album, especially when found on oak.Caution

M

FungusMorelMorchella esculenta and relatives A honeycombed, hollow spring mushroom.

P

PlantPokeweedPoke, poke root, garget, pigeon-berry, scoke; pocan of the Virginian tribes; Phytolacca decandra of the older books Phytolacca americana, the American pokeweed: a tall perennial of hedges and roadsides, purple-stemmed, with clusters of black berries full of crimson juice.Caution

S

Resin & WoodScammonyScammonium; diagrydium The dried root resin of Convolvulus scammonia.Caution

s

FungusThe sickenerRussula emetica A bright red, brittle mushroom of wet pine woods.Caution

Y

FungusYellow stainerAgaricus xanthodermus A white field mushroom that bruises chrome yellow at the base and smells of ink or carbolic.Caution