Poisonous plants of the southern Aravalli hills of Rajasthan

Abstract

Of about 18-20 thousand flowering plants present in our country, many plant species are utilized as food, fodder, medicine and fibre. Quite a few flowering plant species are poisonous. Knowledge on poisonous plants is important as some of them are used in medicine. The poisonous properties are due to toxic substances such as alkaloids, glucosides, saponins, amines, tannins, resins, etc. An account of 32 poisonous plants occurring on the Aravalli hills of Rajasthan has been presented. The information on the poisonous plant species has been gathered from the tribals during ethnobotanical field survey. The study suggests that the tribal people are not only aware of such poisonous plants and their harmful effects, but also use them judiciously for control of insect-pests, bugs, mosquitoes and many other harmful organisms.