Is Arisaema (Shan Baomi) Poisonous? With Picture Description
Arisaema is also called Bai Nanxing, Shan Baomi, She Baogu, etc., and is cultivated in many places in our country, mainly growing in forests, grasslands, and shrublands at relatively high altitudes. Arisaema has high medicinal value and is also a very ancient traditional Chinese medicine. So is Arisaema poisonous? What are its effects and functions?
1. Is Arisaema poisonous?
Arisaema tastes extremely bitter. It is dug up in autumn and winter, the fibrous roots and outer skin removed, and dried in the sun, which gives Sheng Nanxing; when processed with ginger juice and alum, it becomes Zhi Nanxing. The entire Arisaema plant is toxic. Accidental ingestion of Arisaema strongly irritates the mucous membranes in the body and can also cause certain damage to the skin. After the toxins are absorbed by the human body, they paralyze the nerves, causing nausea, vomiting, and difficulty breathing. Consuming too much Arisaema by mistake may also cause necrosis of the central nervous system, affecting all aspects of the body, seriously harming health.
The poisoning reaction caused by Arisaema is very strong. If the outer skin comes into contact with it, it feels itchy and painful as if ants are gnawing, and in severe cases it can cause ulceration at the wound, which is very frightening. Accidental ingestion of Arisaema can cause paralysis of the respiratory system, seriously affecting breathing, and if not treated in time, may lead to danger to life.
2. Effects and functions of Arisaema
1. Anticonvulsant effect: Intraperitoneal injection of Arisaema decoction at 3 g/kg can obviously counteract convulsions caused by strychnine, pentylenetetrazole, and caffeine, but cannot counteract the onset of electroshock, and the anticonvulsant strength differs among different varieties.
2. Expectorant effect: Experiments using the phenol red excretion method in mice showed that Arisaema aqueous preparation has an expectorant effect. The amounts of phenol red excreted from the respiratory tract in the treated groups were 150% and 170% of the control group, respectively.
3. Sedative and analgesic effects: After intraperitoneal injection of Arisaema decoction in rabbits and rats, both showed reduced activity, calmness, and sluggish righting reflex. It can also prolong the sleep time of mice under pentobarbital sodium and has an obvious analgesic effect.
4. Antioxidant effect: Two alkaloids contained in Arisaema have varying degrees of activity in scavenging superoxide anion free radicals and inhibiting lipid peroxidation in liver mitochondria.
5. Antitumor effect: The water extract of Arisaema treated with alcohol has an inhibitory effect on Hela cells in vitro, and also has a certain inhibitory effect on experimental tumors in mice such as sarcoma S180, solid HCA, and U14.
6. Reducing swelling and dispersing nodules: Used for sores, boils, and abscesses, and scrofula. Use Sheng Nanxing made into a thick juice with vinegar and apply it to the affected area. For snake bites, pound fresh Nanxing and apply it to the affected area, or use Nanxing and realgar ground into powder and mixed with white liquor for application.
7. Other effects: Two alkaloids in Arisaema, S201 and S202, both inhibit the contractile force of isolated canine atrium and papillary muscle and the sinus node frequency, and can antagonize the effect of isoproterenol on the heart.