Pseudo-peanut, also known as cowpea, is the whole grass of DC Locust. Harvest in summer and autumn. Born in valleys, watersides, bushes or forests. Distributed in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Guangdong.
Fake peanuts are also known as paulownia, jatropha curcas and stinky jatropha curcas. Shrubs of Euphorbiaceae, 3-4 meters high, are mostly medicinal cultivated plants. Bark, leaves and fruits (including dregs cake after oil pressing) are used as medicine. Wild peanut is distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and other provinces. Mozambique, Zambia and other countries in Africa, Queensland and North Australia in Australia, Orlando and Hawaii Islands in Florida, USA. Pseudo-peanut has smooth bark, rectangular seeds and gray-black seed coat. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that it is cold in nature, has the function of removing blood stasis and relieving pain, and can also treat traumatic injury and skin itching. Interestingly, some places still use it to treat gastroenteritis.
The whole plant of fake peanut is poisonous. Stems, leaves and bark are rich in white milk, which contains a lot of toxic protein. The concentration of seed toxic protein is the highest. Its toxic protein is similar to ricin. The seeds also contain a small amount of cyanohydric acid and ligustrazine. Toxic protein has strong gastrointestinal irritation, and even leads to hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. Ligustrazine is an alkaloid with strong pharmacological effects. Its main function is to inhibit the blood pressure drop caused by the central vascular movement center, and also to inhibit the respiratory center, causing dyspnea. Animal experiments show that it can not only cause severe gastroenteritis, but also show mucosal erosion and congestion, as well as renal interstitial inflammatory infiltration, myocardial degeneration, subpericardial hemorrhage and subpleural hemorrhage.
The main cause of poisoning is wild peanuts, which are widely distributed and accessible to most people. Medicinal cultivated peanuts are small and prone to problems. Jatropha curcas poisoning is very common in the distribution area of fake peanuts. In addition to China, jatropha poisoning has also been reported in Africa and Australia. It has been reported that adults can be poisoned by eating three jatropha nuts, and the amount of poisoning in children is even smaller. In fact, the mature Jatropha curcas fruit is astringent. Although it is called fake peanut, it is not as delicious as peanut. Eating by mistake is mostly because of children's curiosity, and the amount of eating by mistake is generally not very large. It has also been reported that eating far more than three capsules has mild symptoms and is generally considered to be related to tree species.
It is absorbed quickly after oral administration, so the onset of poisoning is fast, and the incubation period is about one hour.
After poisoning, the main manifestations are headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, abdominal burning sensation and other serious gastroenteritis, and then diarrhea, mostly watery diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration, acidosis and even shock if it is not corrected quickly. In severe cases, it can lead to hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. In addition, patients may have symptoms such as polydipsia, sweating and salivation. Muscle spasm of limbs, dyspnea, blood pressure drop and ECG changes. It has been reported that toxic protein has hemolytic effect and can cause renal function damage. Although the actual cases are few, they should not be taken lightly in clinic.
It has been reported that there are atropine-like effects in Jatropha curcas poisoning, including dry skin, dry mouth, facial skin flushing, mild pupil dilation and increased heart rate. It lasts four hours.
Jatropha curcas serosity is irritating to eyes, but generally it will not cause serious consequences, and Jatropha curcas toxic protein will not cause eye burns. It also has the function of hydrolyzing protein, so most of it can be decomposed and detoxified in the gastrointestinal tract. The course of disease is generally short, and it can be cured in about one day.
Poisoned patients should induce vomiting and gastric lavage as soon as possible, and take prompt measures to replenish fluids and correct the disorder of water and electrolyte. Observe closely whether there is hemorrhagic enteritis and hemolysis tendency. Symptomatic treatment and supportive treatment should be given to the changes.