I was in my work routine, photographing some plants of my house to be able to follow my series "Nature in my House" here in my blog, when I came across the castor bean, which is a plant that I see a lot here in my region. I remember when I was a kid, my friends and I would play with each other, throwing those balls of the plant that left marks on our body because of their thorn. It was known as "The Castors Bean Battle". Was funny. I took and photographed this plant. Curious, I went to research on its properties, health benefits and contraindications and what I read, surprised me and I confess it was scary.
What I learned was that castor bean (ricinus communis) produces a toxic substance called "Ricinus", a lethal poison that is developed by the plant itself to protect its seeds. The most common form of poisoning is through the accidental ingestion of your seeds, either through ingestion or added to food. In humans, ricinus poisoning can cause multiple organ failure and can lead to death. The scariest thing is that there is no remedy or antidote against poisoning from the castor's seed intake