Hemlock is from the Umbelliferae family. Veh poisonous (hemlock) is a very poisonous plant. Appearance and habitat

There are many names: hemlock, wood pig, cat parsley, omezhnik, omeg, water rabies, water hemlock, dog angelica, mutnik, gorigolova and pig louse.

This article will introduce a plant better known as hemlock. Photos, descriptions, poisonous properties, places of growth - you will read about all this here.

There have been cases where people who do not know about poisonous properties Oh this plant, we poisoned ourselves with it. This plant can be mistakenly mistaken for an edible wild plant whose roots can be eaten. You should stay away from him. Hemlock can also be confused with angelica.

Just 200 grams of hemlock rhizome is enough to poison a cow to death, and 50 to 100 grams of this plant can kill a sheep.

According to one legend, Socrates was poisoned by the poison of this particular plant. But it is now believed that a more likely version is that the philosopher died after taking a drink based on spotted hemlock.

general description

Veh poisonous is a very plant.

Hemlock smells like celery or carrots (and the smell is deceiving), and has a thick root. It usually blooms in July-August.

Poisonous wekh is easily distinguished from similar plants by its thick rhizome. Its root is divided into separate chambers by partitions. It is pulled out of the ground quite easily. The root, which is the most poisonous part of the plant, tastes sweet. It resembles radish or rutabaga. The highest concentration of poison in hemlock is observed in the spring.

Botanical description

Hemlock (see photo below) - herbaceous perennial, growing up to 1-1.2 meters in height with a characteristic vertical fleshy rhizome white with numerous thin roots. A longitudinal section in the rhizome reveals a number of transverse cavities filled with yellowish liquid. The latter is characteristic hallmark milestone.

The smooth and branched stem is hollow inside.

The upper large leaves are sharp-toothed twice, and the lower ones are thrice pinnate and dissected, with pointed leaves.

White small flowers collected in double (complex) umbrellas with approximately 10-15 rays. Its important difference is the absence of wrappers, but they are available with 8-12 leaves for each umbrella.

Hemlock is a plant with small fruits. They consist of 2 hemispherical brown achenes. Each of them with outside has 5 wide longitudinal ribs, and their inner sides face each other. They are lighter in color, with a dark wide stripe in the middle. The plant propagates by seeds.

Distribution, places of growth

Hemlock is a plant that loves wet, wet places. It can be located right in a reservoir (near the shore), and is also found in swamps. Poisonous weed does not grow in dry meadows.

Distribution area in geographically wide: Eastern Europe, northern parts of Asia, Western Europe and North America. In Russia it is distributed almost everywhere.

This plant develops faster than others in the spring, so it stands out with its size against the general background, attracting large-horned animals.

Chemical composition of the plant, application

Cicuta is a plant containing the following substances: cicutotoxin (the most poisonous principle in the root resin), which can paralyze breathing; cicutin; essential oils, etc.

All parts of the plant are very dangerous, but its rhizome is especially poisonous.

In Russia in folk medicine rhizomes and roots of hemlock were used externally in the form of ointments and tinctures. They were used for rheumatism, skin diseases, gout. The plant also had important in homeopathy.

Hemlock seeds and root contain hemlock oil, or cicutol. Cicutoxin and others toxic substances plants are not destroyed either by high temperatures or by long-term storage. Even dried hemlock contains dangerous poison.

The plant is still used in medicine. The leaves, stems, roots and flowers of the plant are used to make quite effective medications, used in treatment various diseases. In small doses, substances from rhizomes and roots act soothingly, inhibiting nervous system and motor activity. They lower blood pressure and have a diuretic effect.

Symptoms of poisoning

Hemlock is a scary plant. Literally a couple of minutes after the poison enters the body, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps appear, followed by dizziness, gait becomes uncertain and even appears. At the same time, the pupils dilate, convulsions and epileptiform seizures occur, which can result in paralysis and death.

To prevent the worst, the victim needs to quickly and correctly provide first aid.

In conclusion, about actions in case of poisoning

The most important thing is to rinse the victim’s stomach as soon as possible with a solution of activated carbon and tannin.

Then you should urgently transport him to medical institution where infusion therapy and hemosorption (blood purification) should be carried out. It is worth noting that therapeutic measures are difficult due to the fact that the victim’s teeth are clenched tightly.

Everyone should definitely remember that hemlock is a very dangerous plant! And in order to avoid poisoning, you must remember the following:

• Do not eat the roots and leaves of suspicious inedible plants.
• Wash your hands after touching suspicious flora.
• If you have no knowledge and experience, stay away from plants

You should definitely remember that it is not recommended to use medications from the vekha poison yourself, without sufficient knowledge and experience!

Botanical description[ | ]

Vekh poisonous - perennial herbaceous plant up to 1-1.2 m high with a characteristic vertical white fleshy rhizome with numerous small and thin roots. A longitudinal section in the rhizome reveals a number of transverse cavities filled with yellowish liquid. This is a characteristic distinguishing feature of a milestone. The roots are succulent, up to 0.5 cm thick.

The stem is smooth, branched, hollow at the internodes, with a reddish coating; at the top it branches many times.

The vaginal leaves are large, long-petiolate, sharp-toothed at the edges, double-pinnate, the lower ones are almost trippinnate-dissected with linear-lanceolate, pointed and sharply serrate leaves. The stem leaves become smaller and simpler as they approach the apex.

Small white bisexual or staminate flowers are collected in complex (double) umbels with 10-15 main rays. There are no wrappers ( important difference from spotted hemlock), however, there are wrappers with 8-12 leaves for each umbrella. A separate flower is built according to the five-fold system. In bisexual flowers, the calyx teeth are clearly visible. Staminate flowers in the main umbel are rare and are found in the middle of the lateral umbels. They differ from bisexual flowers in the underdevelopment of the ovary and style. Blooms in the second half of summer (July - August).

The fruits are small, 1.5-1.8 mm long, consisting of two hemispherical achenes Brown; on the outside of each achene there are five wide longitudinal ribs; internal sides each achene faces each other, almost flat, lighter in color, with a wide dark stripe in the middle. Propagated by seeds.

Distribution and habitat[ | ]

Distributed throughout Eastern Europe, as well as in the northern parts of Western Europe, Asia and North America.

In Russia - almost everywhere.

Veh poisonous grows in low swampy meadows, along the banks of rivers, streams and ponds, in ditches, where there is a sufficient amount of water. In spring, this plant grows faster than others and stands out against the general background for its size, attracting the attention of animals. Greens, and especially the rhizome, have a specific, slightly intoxicating odor that resembles the smell edible plant celery (Apium graveolens L.).

Toxicology [ | ]

Vöh is one of the most poisonous plants. This plant is especially insidious because of its pleasant taste. The most thorough study of the poisonous properties of the weh was carried out in the 70s of the 19th century by Rudolf Böhm in Dorpat. An experimental study of the toxicity of the poisonous weed for farm and laboratory animals was carried out in 1954.

The toxic principle is amorphous cicutoxin. Its content reaches 0.2% in fresh and up to 3.5% in dry rhizomes. Cicutoxin was isolated in 1875 by Boehm in the form of light yellow oily droplets, which later turned into a light brown, homogeneous, viscous, resin-like mass with an unpleasant bitter taste and no particular odor. Cicutoxin dissolves well, without residue, in ether, chloroform, as well as in boiling water and alkaline solutions. When exposed to concentrated acids and alkalis, cicutoxin is destroyed. According to modern data, it is neither an alkaloid, nor a glycoside, nor a pyrone derivative and has chemical formula below. In addition, the plant contains an essential oil - cicutol (in fruits up to 1.2%) with a variety of terpenes.

The rhizome of the vekha is especially poisonous in early spring and late autumn. However, at other times of the year its toxicity persists and remains high. Cicutoxin and other toxic substances in the plant are not destroyed either by high temperature or by long-term storage.

Cases of animal poisoning with milestones most often occur in the spring. Among large animals, poisoning was observed mainly in cattle. This is explained by the fact that animals are less picky about the grass they eat and the fact that the plant itself is very easily pulled out by the roots.

To recognize the milestone, a longitudinal section of the rhizome and roots is made and examined under a microscope - oval cavities filled with a yellowish resinous substance are visible.

Notes [ | ]

Literature [ | ]

• // / comp. N. I. Annenkov. - St. Petersburg. : Type. Imp. AN, 1878. - XXI + 645 p.

Other names: cicuta, cat parsley, wood pig, omeg, omezhnik, water rabies, mudnik, dog angelica, gorigolova, pork louse.

One of the most poisonous plants. The whole plant is poisonous, but especially the rhizome. Hemlock is insidious with its pleasant carrot smell and rhizome, which tastes like rutabaga or radish. 100-200 g of rhizome is enough to kill a cow, and 50-100 g will kill a sheep. Prepared from seeds and rhizomes hemlock oil or cicutol. Although cicutol is considered poisonous, the root resin contains cicutoxin(see below), the most poisonous element of hemlock, within a few minutes after ingestion it causes nausea, vomiting and colic in the lower abdomen, which may be followed by dizziness, unsteady gait, and foam at the mouth. The pupils are dilated, epileptic seizures and convulsions can result in paralysis and death. Help in case of poisoning - prompt gastric lavage with suspension activated carbon and tannin.

Description

Veh is a herbaceous plant up to 1-1.2 m high with a characteristic vertical, thick, fleshy rhizome. A longitudinal section in the rhizome reveals a number of transverse cavities filled with yellowish liquid. This is a characteristic distinguishing feature of a milestone. The stem is smooth, branched, hollow. The leaves are large, sharp-toothed at the edges, double-pinnate, the lower ones are almost three-pinnately dissected with linear-lanceolate, pointed and sharply serrate leaves. Small, white flowers are collected in complex umbels with 10-15 main rays. There are no involucres (an important difference from spotted hemlock), but there are involucres with 8-12 leaves for each umbrella. A separate flower is built according to the five-fold system. The fruits are small, consisting of two hemispherical brown achenes; on the outside of each achene there are 5 wide longitudinal ribs; the inner sides of each achene are facing each other, almost flat, lighter in color, with a wide, dark stripe in the middle.

Vöh is a perennial, grows in low, swampy meadows, along the banks of rivers, streams and ponds, in ditches, in a word - in places where there is a sufficient amount of water. In spring, this plant grows faster than others and stands out against the general background for its size, attracting the attention of animals. It has a thick white rhizome and small, thin roots, therefore it is weakly strengthened in the soil and is easily pulled out completely. The greens, and especially the rhizome, have a specific, slightly intoxicating, aromatic odor that resembles the smell of the edible celery plant (Apium graveolens L.). Blooms in the second half of summer (July-August). Propagated by seeds. Distributed throughout almost all former USSR, as well as in the northern parts of Western Europe, Asia and North America.

Toxicology

Veh is one of the most poisonous plants. In addition, this plant is especially insidious due to its taste qualities. The most thorough study of the poisonous properties of the milestone was carried out in the 70s of the 20th century by Bem in Dorpat. An experimental study of the toxicity of the poisonous vek for farm and laboratory animals was carried out by N. G. Kozhemyakin in 1954.

The toxic principle is amorphous cicutoxin, contained up to 0.2% in fresh and up to 3.5% in dry rhizome. Cicutoxin was isolated in 1875 by Bam in the form of light yellow oily drops, which later turned into a light brown, homogeneous, viscous, resin-like mass with an unpleasant bitter taste and no particular odor. Cicutoxin dissolves well, without residue, in ether, chloroform, as well as in boiling water and alkaline solutions. When exposed to concentrated acids and alkalis, cicutoxin is destroyed. According to modern data, it is neither an alkaloid nor a glycoside, but a derivative of pyrron and has the chemical formula indicated below. In addition, the plant contains essential oil- cicutol (in fruits up to 1.2%) with a variety of terpenes.

Vekha rhizome is especially poisonous in early spring and late autumn. However, at other times of the year its toxicity persists and remains high. Cicutoxin and other toxic substances of the milestone are not destroyed either by high temperature or during long-term storage. Cases of animal poisoning with milestones most often occur in the spring. Among large animals, poisoning was observed mainly in cattle. This is explained by the fact that animals are less picky about the grass they eat and the fact that the plant itself is very easily pulled out by the roots. It is claimed that hemlock juice mixed with wine yeast plunges birds into lethargy, although larks and quails can calmly peck the seeds of the poisonous weed.

Chemical structure of cicutoxin

Notes

Sources

• Veh: Taxonomy on the GRIN website

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what "Hemlock" is in other dictionaries:

- (lat. cicuta). Herbaceous plant from the family. Umbelliferae, very poisonous; hemlock. Dictionary foreign words, included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. CICUTA lat. cicuta. Plant: hemlock. Explanation of 25,000 foreign words included... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Vekh poisonous Dictionary of Russian synonyms. hemlock noun, number of synonyms: 4 hemlocks (10) ... Synonym dictionary

Same as milestone... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Hemlock, hemlock, female (lat. cicuta) (bot.). Poisonous plant from the family. umbrella Dictionary Ushakova. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 … Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

CICUTA, s, female. Poisonous plant of the family. umbelliferae, growing near the water. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

- (Cicuta) The flower of the ancients is, at least in part, hemlock (Conium maculatum L.). Wed. A. Regel, Beitrag zur Geschichtedes Schierlings und Wasserschierlings (in Bullet, de la soc. des natur.de Moscou, 1876, no. 2 and 1877, no. 1) ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

CICUTA- (Cicuta), vekh, plant of the family. Umbelliferae (Umbelliferae), found in several varieties; The main species, Cicuta virosa, is poisonous. Distributed in the North. In Europe and here in swampy areas, along the banks of rivers, ponds and lakes. Looks like... ... Big medical encyclopedia

Cicuta- CICUTA, the same as vekh. ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Y; and. [lat. cicuta] Poisonous herbaceous plant of the family. umbelliferae, growing near the water; milestone * * * hemlock is the same as vekh. * * * Hemlock Hemlock, the same as vekh (see VEKH) ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Poisonous plant of the Umbelliferae family; same as Veh... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Books

• The Poison of Athens, Margaret Doody, Autumn 330 BC. Athens is in turmoil - high-profile trials follow one after another: a noble citizen is beaten, the most beautiful woman in Greece, who inspired Praxiteles himself,... Category: Adventure novels Series: The Book They Talk About Publisher:

(Veh poisonous, water hemlock) - poisonous plant from the celery (umbrella) family. The whole plant is poisonous, but especially the rhizome. Hemlock greens have a rather pleasant carrot-celery smell, and the rhizome tastes like rutabaga. Grows mainly on wet areas: along the banks of rivers, lakes, ponds, along deep ditches, garden ponds.

Hemlock grows in almost all regions of Russia, in Western Europe, Asia and North America. Perennial. It develops faster than other field grasses and in spring stands out well against the general background of vegetation with its large, sharp-toothed, dissected, dark green, succulent leaves, similar to the leaves of parsley or carrots. They attract domestic herbivores.

Poisonous weed is very weak in the soil, so cows and sheep often eat this plant along with the rhizome, resulting in severe poisoning and even death. In history, there are cases of painful deaths of shepherds and escaped convicts from hemlock root, who mistook it for an edible root vegetable.

Hemlock is a tall plant up to 1.2 m. The stem is hollow, branched, smooth. The flowers are small and white. The poisonous wedge blooms in July–August. Collected in characteristic umbrella inflorescences. Due to its similarity with another poisonous plant, spotted hemlock, poisonous hemlock is sometimes called water hemlock. The main external distinguishing feature of hemlock from hemlock is the presence on the lower part of its smooth, blue-tinged stem, dark red spots and a powdery coating.

The rhizome of the poisonous vek is vertical, thick, fleshy, with thin, weak roots. That is why it is so easily pulled out of the ground. It is easy to identify the hemlock rhizome. If you cut it lengthwise, you will notice in the pulp the presence of transverse cavities with a yellowish liquid. The main poison of the milestone is the substance cicutoxin, the concentration of which is maximum in early spring and late autumn.

Eating hemlock root causes nausea and vomiting, severe pain in the lower abdomen, feeling of thirst, dizziness, convulsions, difficulty breathing, paralysis of the tongue, severe weakness and foaming at the mouth. In case of overdose, death is possible within an hour from paralysis of the respiratory center.

First aid: intensive gastric lavage with a 0.1% solution of potassium permanganate, taking 5 - 10 tablets of activated carbon, using high cleansing enemas, drinking plenty of liquid jelly. If necessary, do artificial respiration. In case of hemlock poisoning, it is important not to delay time and immediately take the victim to the hospital.

Hemlock (veh poisonous) is the most poisonous plant in the European territory of Russia. A perennial herbaceous plant, hemlock, 60-130 cm high, belongs to the Umbelliferae family and is very similar to other plants of this family. Its main difference is a thick, short, fleshy, rounded rhizome, on the surface of which white succulent roots 0.5 cm thick are planted. When cut, it is clear that the rhizome is divided by transverse partitions, the cavities between which are filled with an oily yellowish liquid.

The plant has a straight stem, branched at the top. The leaves are sharp-toothed along the edges, double or triple pinnate. Numerous white flowers are collected in inflorescences - complex umbrellas, the diameter of which is 5-12 cm. The fruits are round in shape, two-seeded, 1.5-2 mm long, splitting into two semi-fruits. Hemlock blooms in June-August, and bears fruit from August to September.

Veh poisonous beckons with its pleasant carrot aroma. The plant most often grows in groups. It grows in swamps, alder forests, damp meadows, banks of rivers, reservoirs, and directly in the water. Found in the European part of Russia, Siberia, and the Far East.

Chemical composition

The rhizome and roots of hemlock contain the poison cicutoxin (2%) and the toxic substance cicutol, an essential non-toxic yellowish oil. The oil contains cumic aldehyde and pcimol. The flavonoids isorhamnetin and quercetin were found in the herbaceous part of the plant.
The rhizomes have a sweetish taste with a spicy odor. After cutting, a light yellow resinous juice is released from them - poison, which quickly darkens in air. This poison causes very severe poisoning, which is fatal in 50% of cases.

Properties of hemlock

Hemlock is characterized as a sedative, diaphoretic, and anticonvulsant. Shows analgesic effect for lower back pain, rheumatism, migraine. In small doses, the rhizomes and roots of the plant act sedatively, suppressing motor activity and the central nervous system, reducing arterial pressure, partially increase urine output.

Application of hemlock

For medicinal purposes, the roots and rhizomes of the plant are used for external use. Tinctures and ointments based on them are used for skin diseases (chronic dermatitis, minor rashes), gout, rheumatism, inflammation of the sciatic nerve. Vekha-based drugs are used for tetanus, epilepsy and convulsions of the postpartum period.

But the main purpose of hemlock is the treatment of cancer. Moreover, the biologically active substances of poisonous hemlock, in addition to stopping tumor growth, are also capable of killing cancer cells. Preparations based on this plant are used to destroy metastases, which traditional chemotherapy cannot cope with. Hemlock can also be used as an oncoprophylactic agent.

It is not recommended to use hemlock medicines on your own without sufficient knowledge and extensive experience. The poison cicutoxin present in the plant is very toxic and does not lose its properties even when heated.

Contraindications

Hemlock is one of the most poisonous plants. The poison does not lose its properties regardless of whether the plant is used fresh or raw. In addition, toxic substances will not be destroyed by high temperature and during long-term storage. The toxicity of the milestone varies depending on climatic conditions and depending on the time of year. The rhizome is more poisonous in spring. Rhizomes and roots are especially poisonous, for example, 100-200 g can kill a cow, 50-100 g can kill a sheep, although quails and larks peck hemlock seeds safely for their health.

If the poison cicutoxin enters the body, then within a few minutes symptoms of poisoning will be visible, since it is very quickly absorbed by the stomach. The first symptoms of poisoning: abdominal pain, bitterness in the mouth, vomiting, drooling, delirium, breathing problems and convulsions.

First of all, the poison affects the central nervous system; it has pronounced convulsive effects. In 50% of cases, poisoning ends in death, which occurs from respiratory paralysis.
If hemlock poisoning occurs, then first of all you need to rinse your stomach, drink emetics, vinegar, and black coffee.
Tsikutin

In 2000, V.V. Yakovlev patented the drug Cicutin, developed on the basis of the poisonous plant. In this medicine The poison cicutoxin is practically absent, which allows it to be consumed orally. Cicutin is intended for treatment. Clinical studies have proven its effectiveness in the treatment of oncology, as well as other chronic diseases.