The Manchineel tree is considered one of the most dangerous woody plants on the planet. Its juice is extremely poisonous. A person can get severe poisoning, even when near a tree. After all, the dew flowing from its leaves has toxic properties. What is this dangerous representative of the flora? Is this tree used in industry? We will consider these issues in the article.
General Description
The manchineel tree belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. This is a fairly tall plant (up to 15 m long) with a lush crown and spreading branches. Its bright green leaves are oval and glossy.
Fruits resemble small apples in appearance. They emit a very pleasant sweetish aroma, but are filled with extremely poisonous juice. Inside each fruit are small brown seeds. The manchineel tree is an evergreen plant. However, during the dry season, its foliage may fall off.
The flowering of the tree continues all year round. But especiallyManchineel blooms luxuriantly in early spring. The flowers are small (about 3 mm), yellowish in color.
Photo of manchineel can be seen below.
Habitat
Mancinella grows in the Western Hemisphere. This tree can be found in the state of Florida (USA), as well as in South America and the Caribbean islands.
This plant is very fond of moisture, so most often it grows on sea coasts and is exposed to strong winds. Therefore, its branches often bend and deform. In the photo of the manchineel tree, you can see the unusual shape of the crown.
Properties of poison
Like many other plants of the Euphorbiaceae family, manchineel contains milky juice. It contains a poisonous substance - phorbol. Therefore, the manchineel tree is otherwise called the "tree of death".
The sap of the tree has a systemic toxic effect on the body. It is also very irritating to the skin and mucous membranes. Even a few drops of this substance cause severe burns. Exposure to the juice leads to an inflammatory reaction and blistering. It is a highly caustic liquid that can burn through even cotton fabrics.
Scientists have investigated the properties of manchineel juice. Phorbol toxin has been found to be a strong carcinogen. If a person is in contact with wood for a long time, then his risk of developing cancerous tumors increases significantly.
Danger
Poisonous milky juice is found in the following parts of the tree:
- kore;
- fruits;
- leaves;
- flowers.
Eating manchineel fruits is especially dangerous. This leads to a rapid burn of the esophagus and throat. The penetration of juice into the stomach causes perforation of the wall of the organ. Often there are cases of eye damage. If even a small amount of juice gets into the organ of vision, it can lead to complete blindness.
You can get poisoned and burns not only by eating fruits or by skin contact with milky juice. Phorbol toxin is highly soluble in water. If a person stands under the branches of a tree, then poisonous dew from the leaves can get on his skin. It is also very dangerous to shelter from the rain under the branches of the manchineel. Drops of moisture mixed with the sap of the tree cause severe burns if it comes into contact with the skin. If the poison penetrates the wound, it leads to fatal poisoning.
Historical facts
There have been many cases of manchine poisoning in history. Local tribes have long used the sap of this tree as a poison for arrows.
In the Middle Ages, the pleasant smell of trees attracted sailors from Europe. Often they ate fragrant and juicy fruits. This ended in severe poisoning, from which many people died. The tree was named "apple of death".
In history, cases of severe intoxication were noted even when trying to cut down a tree or break off its twig. At the same time, the poisonous juice splashed and fell on the skin.
Cases of poisoning are noted even today. Most people eat fruitsthis tree, unaware of their poisonous properties. Radiation scientist Nicole Strickland posted an article in the British Medical Herald about her manchine poisoning. While on vacation in Tobago, she accidentally saw several small green fruits on the beach sand and bit off a small piece from one of them. The fruit was fragrant and sweet in taste. Soon the woman felt a burning sensation in her throat, which after 2 hours turned into unbearable pain. Signs of poisoning disappeared only after 8 hours, but for a long time the enlargement of the lymph nodes in the neck remained.
There have been cases when tourists who arrived in the Caribbean Islands received severe poisoning after stopping under a wide crown. In the area where the manchineel grows, signs warning of danger can be seen next to the tree. They urge tourists not to touch this plant and stay under its branches.
Manchineel is currently listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most poisonous woody plant on Earth.
Attempts to destroy the tree
In the middle of the 18th century, poisonous trees, including manchineel, were cut down on the island of Puerto Rico. However, this plant could not be destroyed. When people tried to cut these trees, poisonous milky juice sprayed from under the bark. Lumberjacks received severe burns and even blindness. Skin lesions were accompanied by the appearance of painful and long-lasting blisters.
Then wasan attempt was made to burn the trees. However, the smoke generated during combustion was also dangerous. It corroded the eyes, irritated the respiratory tract and caused severe headaches. Due to the extreme toxicity of the manchineel, all attempts to control the poisonous tree ended in failure.
Industrial applications
Manchineel wood has a beautiful dark tone and is quite durable. This tree belongs to valuable and rare species. Therefore, it is used to make furniture.
Timber harvesting is very difficult. After all, this tree cannot be cut down. Any contact with its bark causes severe burns. Therefore, bonfires are lit around the tree before felling. This allows you to dry it with smoke. However, even this treatment does not lead to the complete evaporation of the juice.
After drying, the tree is felled and sawn very carefully. At the same time, they try to avoid getting the smallest particles of wood on the skin and in the eyes. This is a rather risky process. During exposure to smoke, a lot of toxic substances are released on the bark of a tree, which can cause headaches and pain in the eyes.
Manchineel furniture does not pose any danger. During processing, the poisonous juice is completely removed. Finished products cannot emit toxins.
Medical use
The manchineel tree has not found wide application either in official or in folk medicine because of its high toxicity. However, there is a homeopathic preparation Mancinella ("Hippomane Mancinella"), created on the basis of the alkaloids of this plant. In its compositionincludes tincture of fruits, bark and leaves. This tool is used to treat mental disorders, accompanied by anxiety, fears and hysterical reactions.
Is it dangerous to take such a drug? It is important to remember here that extremely low doses of active ingredients are used in homeopathy. In the process of making a homeopathic remedy, the juice of the plant is very strongly diluted with water. Such a meager concentration of phorbol is practically safe for the body.
The sap of the tree is also used in medical research. It is used as a carcinogen in modeling the formation of malignant tumors. This allows you to study the mechanism of oncological diseases in more detail.
