ABSTRACT
It has been reported that the traditional medicine is being used by almost 80% of the world’s population in underdeveloped countries. Plant sources, such as herbs, shrubs, and trees, are the most common ones, which they employ for their basic healthcare needs. Traditional medicine is commonly utilized in some parts of South America, Asia and Africa to treat chronic ailments, particularly among the poor. It has been noticed that the India is known as the epicenter of traditional medicine. All these types of indigenous system of medicine use plant sources as their treatment option. Along with traditional beneficial uses of plants, numerous plants are poisonous in nature. The history of poisonous plants is quite old and can be traced from antiquity to present day. Many plants that are harmful to humans and animals have different levels of toxicity depending on their stage of development. At the same time, they are rich in terms of important phytochemicals, and thus, they are used for numerous potential health benefits. Taken together, the main aim of this chapter is to provide a clear and updated understanding of plants that are most typically implicated in plant intoxication as well as how to diagnose and treat intoxications. Further, the effects of poisonous plants on livestock and how to minimize or prevent the livestock poisoning are described. Utility of plant poison as a drug for neurological disorder and treating cancer has also been included. Moreover, information on plant-based poison commonly used as suicidal poison along with toxin responsible for death has also been summarized.
