Naturally Occurring Toxins In Plants
NATURALLY OCCURRING TOXINS IN PLANTS
Introduction.
Historically, we have learned that everything is toxic; it is only the dose that separates the toxic from the non-toxic. Even water is toxic if a large amount (4–5 litres) is consumed in a relatively short time (2–3 hours). The pathogenesis of water intoxication includes hypernatremia, followed by cerebral oedema, seizures and death.
Like water, too much of a good thing such as the antioxidant vitamin A, can have acute toxic effects leading to hepatotoxicity or chronic high levels can have a pro-oxidant effect. Something as innocent as licorice, when consumed in large amounts may be harmful. For example, Bannister and associates ...
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and vegetables produce small amounts of natural toxins which are of no concern when the food is consumed as part of a varied diet and eaten in moderation. The reason for the presence of these plant-produced natural toxins is not always known. In some foods, a toxin is present as a naturally occurring pesticide to ward off insect attacks. A toxin may also be formed to protect the plant from spoilage when damaged by weather, handling, UV light or microbes. Moldy or damaged plants, for example, may contain more natural toxicants than uninfected or undamaged plants
Familiar foods can sometimes be unsafe as a result of eating the wrong plant part, improper preparation, inadequate cooking or abnormal eating patterns. Likewise, adventurous eaters who try unfamiliar ethnic foods, or plants collected from the wild, first need to learn how to prepare and cook such foods safely. Unusual eating patterns may also cause harmful effects if natural toxicants in foods are ingested above safe ...
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can cause nausea, vomiting, and headaches, but you have to eat a whole lot of it for this to occur. In super great quantities, they can cause convulsions and unconsciousness so it can be serious.
People with arthritis sometimes avoid these foods because they may aid in inflammatory conditions, but the reports are conflicting on this advice.
Nightshade
Vegetables are actually all fruit! We eat them as vegetables (like in salads, side dishes, and not generally snacking out of hand or in desserts) so we consider them vegetables but they are indeed all fruit! What makes a fruit? It's all in the seeds and germination - fruits have seeds that develop from the " ovaries " of flowers. ...
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"Naturally Occurring Toxins In Plants." Essayworld.com. October 24, 2013. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Naturally-Occurring-Toxins-In-Plants/103176.
"Naturally Occurring Toxins In Plants." Essayworld.com. October 24, 2013. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Naturally-Occurring-Toxins-In-Plants/103176.
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