Question - The plant Gloriosa superba contains what toxic element that can be fatal in a concentration dependent fashion?
Answer - The cited article notes “Gloriosa superba (Glory Lily) is a flowering plant widespread in South, Southeast Asia and Africa. The tubers of this plant have been found to contain several alkaloids; the most important ones include colchicine, gloriosine, superbine and salicylic acid. Ingestion of Gloriosa superba results in severe poisoning in humans. The lethal dose of Gloriosa superba is about 6 mg/kg body weight and the mode of toxicity is attributed mainly to colchicine.” (Wijerathna T et al. Epidemiology, toxicokinetics and biomarkers after self-poisoning with Gloriosa superba. 2019 Clin Tox 57(11):1080-1085)
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