The Plant Irritant Tierlist (Plant Irritant Lore)

That Chemist

4 Nov 202316:16

EducationalLearning

32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThis video explores various plant irritants, discussing their chemical structures and effects on humans. It covers substances like abietic acid, urushiol, anacardic acid, aconitine, conine, histamine, fourball, taxine, bapon, conval toxin, tulipalin A, and capsaicin, highlighting their potential to cause allergic reactions, dermatitis, and even paralysis or death.

Takeaways

🌧️ The video discusses various plant irritants that can be annoying or harmful.
🌲 Abietic acid, found in pine trees, is a minor skin irritant and repellent for insects.
🌿 Urushiol, present in poison ivy, oak, and sumac, causes allergic reactions like rashes and itching.
🌰 Anacardic acids in cashew shells are similar to urushiol and can cause contact dermatitis.
🌼 Aconitine, found in aconitum plants, is a potent toxin that can cause paralysis and heart failure.
🍃 Coniine from hemlock plants blocks nerve signals, leading to paralysis and death.
🌿 Histamine, found in stinging nettles, causes inflammation and itchiness, which can be treated with antihistamines.
🍈 Forbol, found in purging cotton seeds, can promote tumor growth and act as a skin irritant.
🌳 Taxine from yew trees disrupts heart function, potentially leading to cardiovascular failure.
🥕 Bergapten in carrots and citrus fruits can cause photosensitivity and increased cancer risk.

Q & A

Why do many plants produce irritating chemicals?
-Many plants produce irritating chemicals for self-defense purposes, to deter insects, parasites, and other threats.
What is abiotic acid and where is it primarily found?
-Abiotic acid is primarily found in pine trees or conifers. It serves as a minor irritant and repellent against insects and parasites.
What are the effects of urushiol on humans?
-Urushiol, found in poison oak, poison sumac, and poison ivy, can cause urushiol-induced contact dermatitis, leading to itchiness, rashes, swelling, and blistering.
How does aconitine affect the human body?
-Aconitine, found in aconitum plants, binds to sodium ion channels in cells, locking them open and preventing the nervous system from functioning properly. This can lead to symptoms like dizziness, nausea, muscle weakness, and even deadly paralysis of the heart or respiratory system.
What is conine and why is it significant?
-Conine is the main toxin found in Hemlock, and it binds to and blocks nicotinic receptors, resulting in full-body paralysis and eventually death due to respiratory system paralysis.
What role does histamine play in plants like stinging nettles?
-Histamine is the primary irritant in stinging nettles, causing inflammation, itchiness, and pain upon contact. This can be remedied with antihistamines.
What is fourball and how does it affect humans?
-Fourball is found in the seeds of purging cotton and acts as a minor skin allergen and irritant. It can also promote tumor growth and amplify the effects of other carcinogens.
How does taxine affect the cardiovascular system?
-Taxine, found in yew trees, affects the calcium and sodium ion channels in heart cells, leading to a dramatically reduced heart rate, arrhythmia, and eventually cardiovascular failure.
What is the primary effect of bapon when exposed to UV light?
-Bapon is a photosensitizer that, when exposed to UV light, can cause phytophotodermatitis, leading to symptoms such as redness, inflammation, and boils.
What is capsacin and how does it affect humans and animals?
-Capsacin, found in peppers, triggers the TRPV1 protein, causing a burning sensation on the skin and mucous membranes. It deters insects and other parasites but does not affect birds, which have a modified TRPV1 protein.

Outlines

00:00

🌧️ Irritating Plants and Their Defenses

This paragraph introduces the concept of irritating plants and how they use chemicals for self-defense. It highlights common irritations caused by plants, such as rashes and stomach issues, and mentions the author's personal experience of eating only meat for five years due to plant irritations. The video aims to explore various plant irritants and is sponsored by Curiosity Stream, a platform with numerous educational documentaries.

05:00

🌲 Minor Irritants: Abietic Acid

Abietic acid, found in pine trees, serves as a minor irritant and insect repellent. It has three cyclohexane rings and is related to steroids. Though it can irritate human skin, it is safe for consumption in small amounts. Abietic acid is also used in products like violin rosin. Its irritation level is considered minor, placing it in the F tier for irritants.

10:02

🍃 Potent Irritants: Urushiol

Urushiol is the compound responsible for the irritation caused by poison ivy, oak, and sumac. It leads to urushiol-induced contact dermatitis, causing itchiness, rashes, swelling, and blistering. Not everyone is sensitive to urushiol, but those who are can experience severe allergic reactions. The compound is also present in cashew fruit, requiring special handling to avoid burns. Urushiol is placed in the A tier for its significant irritant properties.

15:04

🥜 Similar Irritants: Anacardic Acid

Anacardic acid, found in cashew shells, is similar to urushiol and can also cause contact dermatitis. While less commonly encountered, it serves as an insect repellent and is being researched for antibacterial properties. Despite its similarity to urushiol, anacardic acid is placed in the B tier for irritants due to its lesser likelihood of causing widespread irritation.

🌼 Deadly Irritant: Aconitine

Aconitine, found in aconitum plants, is a potent toxin that affects the nervous system by locking sodium channels open. This leads to symptoms like dizziness, nausea, muscle weakness, and potentially deadly paralysis. The severity of aconitine's effects places it in the S tier for irritants.

🌿 Historical Poison: Coniine

Coniine, the main toxin in hemlock, has a long history of use as a poison. It blocks nicotinic receptors, causing full-body paralysis and death due to respiratory failure. Coniine poisoning is a concern for both humans and livestock. Its lethal effects secure its place in the S tier for irritants.

🌱 Common Allergen: Histamine

Histamine, found in stinging nettles, causes inflammation, itchiness, and pain. It is the primary irritant among several compounds in nettles. Histamine can also cause issues when consumed in high amounts from certain foods. Its effects can be mitigated with antihistamines. Despite being easily treatable, its irritation potential places it in the D tier.

🌰 Tumor Promoter: Phorbol

Phorbol, found in purging cotton seeds, has been used as a purgative. It is a minor skin allergen and irritant, and it promotes tumor growth in conjunction with other carcinogens. Due to its tumor-promoting properties, phorbol is placed in the A tier.

🌲 Cardiovascular Threat: Taxine

Taxine, found in yew trees, affects the cardiovascular system by disrupting calcium and sodium ion channels in heart cells. This leads to reduced heart rate, arrhythmia, and heart failure. Taxine's dangerous effects on the heart place it in the S tier for irritants.

🥕 Photosensitizer: Bergapten

Bergapten, found in carrots and citrus fruits, is a photosensitizer that can cause phytophotodermatitis, leading to severe sunburn-like symptoms. In vitro, it can cause chromosomal anomalies and is a potential carcinogen. Its harmful properties place bergapten in the A tier.

🌸 Therapeutic Toxin: Convallatoxin

Convallatoxin, from lily of the valley, has a steroid structure and therapeutic uses in nanomolar doses to treat heart conditions and cancer. However, higher doses are toxic, leading to symptoms like fatigue, nausea, and heart failure. Its dual nature of being both therapeutic and poisonous places it between the S and A tiers.

🌷 Floral Irritant: Tulipalin A

Tulipalin A, found in tulips, causes skin irritation known as 'tulip finger' and can lead to symptoms like vomiting and heart palpitations if ingested. While it does not typically cause fatal outcomes, its irritation potential places it in the C tier.

🌶️ Spicy Irritant: Capsaicin

Capsaicin, found in hot peppers, triggers the TRPV1 protein, causing a burning sensation. It irritates the skin and mucous membranes and is used in pepper spray. Capsaicin deters animals from eating peppers, but birds are immune to its effects. Its significant irritation potential places it in the B tier.

🌿 Summary of Plant Irritants

This paragraph summarizes the various plant irritants discussed in the video and invites viewers to share their experiences with plant irritants. It concludes by thanking viewers for watching and encouraging them to explore more about the topic.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Irritant

An irritant is a substance that causes a mild biological response upon contact, typically leading to discomfort or annoyance. In the video, irritants are the central theme as various plant compounds that cause irritation to humans or animals are discussed, such as urushiol from poison ivy and capsaicin from peppers.

💡Urushiol

Urushiol is a compound found in plants like poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac that causes a severe allergic reaction known as urushiol-induced contact dermatitis. The video explains that this compound is an irritant that can lead to symptoms like itchiness, rashes, and swelling, illustrating the impact of plant irritants on human health.

💡Anacardic Acid

Anacardic acid is a compound found in the shells and fruits of cashews, which is structurally similar to urushiol and can cause similar allergic reactions. The video emphasizes its irritant properties, noting that it can trigger contact dermatitis, and is an example of how certain plant parts can be harmful upon contact.

💡Aconitine

Aconitine is a potent neurotoxin found in the aconitum plant, commonly known as monkshood. The video describes aconitine as an irritant that can cause numbness and is a severe toxin that can lead to heart or respiratory system paralysis, highlighting the extreme dangers of certain plant irritants.

💡Conine

Conine is the main toxin in hemlock, a highly poisonous plant. The video mentions conine as an irritant that, when ingested, can block the nervous system's signals to muscles, leading to paralysis and death, underscoring the lethal potential of plant irritants.

💡Histamine

Histamine is an allergen and irritant found in plants like stinging nettles. The video explains that histamine causes inflammation, itchiness, and pain upon exposure, and its presence in the body is normally to help fight infections. It also notes the use of antihistamines to counteract its effects.

💡Fourball

Fourball is a compound found in the seeds of the purging nut plant, known for its medicinal uses as a laxative but also for its irritant properties. The video points out that fourball can promote tumor growth and is considered a carcinogen, showing how some irritants can have broader health implications.

💡Taxine

Taxine is a class of alkaloids found in the yew tree, known for its historical use as a poison. The video describes taxine as an irritant that affects heart cells, leading to cardiovascular failure, and categorizes it as a severe irritant due to its heart-damaging effects.

💡Bergapten

Bergapten, also known as furano coumarin, is an irritant found in plants from the carrot and citrus families. The video explains that bergapten can cause a condition called phytophotodermatitis when it comes in contact with skin and is exposed to sunlight, demonstrating the photosensitizing properties of some irritants.

💡Conval Toxin

Conval toxin is a compound found in the lily of the valley, which has therapeutic uses in nanomolar doses but is poisonous in higher amounts. The video discusses its dual nature, noting that while it can treat heart conditions and some cancers, it can also cause severe symptoms like cardiac arrest and death, reflecting the complex nature of irritants.

💡Tulipalin A

Tulipalin A is a compound found in tulips that causes skin irritation and is also present in tulip bulbs, which can cause more severe symptoms if ingested. The video uses tulipalin A to illustrate how even beautiful and popular ornamental plants can have irritant properties that require caution.

💡Capsaicin

Capsaicin is the compound responsible for the spicy heat in peppers. The video explains that capsaicin triggers the TRPV1 protein, causing a sensation of heat or pain, and is an example of how irritants can have a profound sensory impact. It also mentions its use in riot control agents, showing its practical applications beyond food.

Highlights

A list of various plant irritants and their effects on humans is discussed.

Abietane acid, found in pine trees, acts as a minor irritant and repellent against insects and is safe for human consumption.

Urushiol, present in poison oak, ivy, and sumac, causes severe allergic reactions like rashes and blistering in sensitive individuals.

Anacardic acid in cashew shells can trigger allergic reactions similar to urushiol and has potential antibacterial properties.

Aconitine, found in aconitum plants, is a dangerous toxin that affects the nervous system and can lead to paralysis.

Conine, the toxin in hemlock, blocks nerve signals leading to muscle movement, causing paralysis and death.

Histamine in stinging nettles causes inflammation and pain but can be treated with antihistamines.

Fourball, found in purging cotton, is a skin allergen and has been linked to tumor growth and cancer.

Taxine in the yew tree affects heart cells, leading to cardiovascular failure.

Bergapten, found in carrots and citrus fruits, can cause severe skin reactions when exposed to sunlight.

Convalotoxin from the lily of the valley has therapeutic uses but can be deadly in higher doses.

Tulipalin A in tulips can cause skin irritation and heart palpitations if consumed.

Capsaicin in peppers triggers a burning sensation and is used in riot control agents like pepper spray.

Different plant irritants have various effects, ranging from mild skin reactions to severe systemic toxicity.

Some plant irritants have medicinal properties, while others are known for their toxicity.

Plant irritants can affect humans and animals differently, with some being more sensitive than others.

The video is sponsored by Curiosity Stream, offering a wide range of educational content.

Transcripts

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