ABSTRACT
Biodiversity is very important for livelihood of the world population. Due to habitat destruction and overexploitation, plant diversity is declining or disappearing at an alarming rate. There are several species which are poisonous or injurious to human body, but these plants also have some medicinal properties and can be helpful in curing various ailments. These plants are found growing in the forest, undisturbed areas, agriculture fields or sometimes planted by the forest department as a roadside tree with or without the knowledge about their effects on human body system. Poisoning by these plants can be by contact causing skin irritation, ingestion causing internal poisoning, absorption by the skin, and inhalation by respiratory tract. Some plants that are considered as harmless are not so. Many plants are used in some way or the other in medicines especially in homeopathic pharmacology. Due to overexploitation of their medicinal properties and negligence due to their harmful effects, these plants are on the verge of extinction. Therefore, it is high time to think about their conservation so that these species could be conserved. This chapter discusses about the need for conservation and strategies for various plants with poisonous properties.
