Toxicological properties and chemical profiling of native plants geographically distributed in and around thrissur district, kerala, india

Plants are living factories producing thousands of secondary metabolites. We have a general concept that plants and plant products are harmless. However, more than 700 plants produce physiologically active toxic substances, sufficient to cause harmful effects in human beings and animals. In some plants, one part may be edible while another is poisonous. Lack of toxicological evaluation of natural products leads to the false concept that natural products are safe. Even herbal food ingredients may contain some Phyto-constituents known to produce genotoxic or carcinogenic components after prolonged dose depended exposure. Poisonous plants produce several toxic substances at various concentrations at different organs and cause responses ranging from mild nausea to mortality. Certain animal species may have a specific vulnerability to a potentially poisonous plant. Plant toxins belong to different categories. The reviewed plants are classified into nine based on the significant category of poisons: