''Euphorbia poissonii'', also known as ''Euphorbia poissoni'' ''Euphorbia poissoni''
i
CJB African Plant Database
/ref> and, incorrectly, as ''Euphorbia poisoni'', is a highly irritant and toxic

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

member of the large and varied

spurge ''Euphorbia'' is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae (in deference to t ...

family of plants.''Euphorbia poissonii''
in BoDD – Botanical Dermatology Database It is native to northern

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, where local farmers extract its

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...

for use as a pesticide. Its powerfully irritant and pain-producing nature mandates use as a fencing plant. It is known to the

Berom people The Berom (sometimes also spelt as Birom) is the largest autochthonous ethnic group in Plateau State, central Nigeria. Covering about four local government areas, which include Jos North, Jos South, Barkin Ladi (Gwol) and Riyom, Berom are also ...

of the Jos area as pyùlúp who transplant it to their compounds where it is regarded as protection against

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

. It is named for French botanist Henri Louis Poisson, who formally described other ''Euphorbia'' species.

Toxic activity

In addition to a variety of irritant phorbol-type esters, the latex contains

resiniferatoxin Resiniferatoxin (RTX) is a naturally occurring chemical found in resin spurge (''Euphorbia resinifera''), a cactus-like plant commonly found in Morocco, and in ''Euphorbia poissonii'' found in northern Nigeria.

and

tinyatoxin Tinyatoxin (TTX or TTN) is an analog of the neurotoxin resiniferatoxin. It occurs naturally in '' Euphorbia poissonii''.

, two closely related highly irritant resiniferonol-type esters. The most active

toxin A toxin is a naturally occurring organic poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. Toxins occur especially as a protein or conjugated protein. The term toxin was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849– ...

, binds to pain receptors in the same way as

capsaicin Capsaicin (8-methyl-''N''-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) ( or ) is an active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus ''Capsicum''. It is a chemical irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burning ...

but much more powerfully. It stimulates the neurons to fire repeatedly, causing pain. Due to its selective nature of binding and killing pain receptors while leaving other

nerve A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons) in the peripheral nervous system. A nerve transmits electrical impulses. It is the basic unit of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the e ...

cells intact, resiniferatoxin is currently being researched as a possible treatment for

chronic pain Chronic pain is classified as pain that lasts longer than three to six months. In medicine, the distinction between Acute (medicine), acute and Chronic condition, chronic pain is sometimes determined by the amount of time since onset. Two commonly ...

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q10750206 poissonii