Ingestion of castor oil plant seeds

Abstract

Ingestion of seeds of the castor oil plant is rare, and may cause toxicity but rarely death. The presumed toxic component is ricin, a highly potent cellular poison. We report the case of a young adult who ingested a large number of the seeds, causing initial toxicity, but with subsequent full recovery. The management of such ingestions and the apparent discrepancy between the extreme toxicity of ricin and the generally milder toxicity of ingested seeds are discussed.