Two weeks after the death of a 24-year-old girl from Kerala after she bit into an oleander, the fame of the vibrant, showy flower seems to have declined drastically. Known for its fragrant blossoms, the evergreen shrub was termed ‘desert rose’ in ancient texts and was often used in the cure of cancer by the Romans and Arabs. However, the tragic death of the Kerala girl, diminished its popularity, causing even the Kerala Government to shun it from being used in temples along with offerings.
While it is known for its drought tolerance, and widely used as an ornamental shrub, it is also used as an Ayurvedic remedy. The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, describing the quality, purity, and effectiveness, states that the root bark of the oleander can be used to treat skin diseases. Locals in the South Pacific island nation of Fiji still use the shrub to treat baldness, bruises, toothaches and sometimes syphilis. But to what extent is this safe when recent incidents underline its toxicity?
Despite minor glorifications of the Nerium oleander from people around the world, it is popularly considered ‘toxic’. Recent incidents have exposed to the world the deadliness of this beauty that we often love to give a place in the corner of our gardens. Researchers state that every part of the shrub is toxic - from the root to the flower itself, all of it.
The poisoning can affect the heart, nervous system, intestines, stomach, eyes, and skin. The cut stems exude sticky latex that can irritate the skin. The leaves, flowers, and sap, contain toxic compounds (known as cardiac glycosides) such as oleandrin, folinerin, digitoxigenin and nerioside.
These compounds can interfere with the normal functioning of the heart by disrupting the sodium-potassium pump in cell membranes, thus leading to a range of symptoms from gastrointestinal upset to potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias. The myocytes, which is a type of muscle cell found in the heart, sensitises to oleandrin, thus causing rapid heartbeat that can lead to a loss of electrical activity in the heart.
Ingesting even small amounts of oleander can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, irregular heart rhythms, and in severe cases, it can also lead to coma or death. Mammals such as dogs, humans and cattle are most sensitive to its deadly nature, as oleanders contain inside their tissues cardenolides which exert positive effects on the hearts of animals and humans. Moreover, the severity of the toxicity varies on the basis of intake and the individual’s physiological response.