Middle East DVEP - Armed Forces Pest Management Board

2. Systemic Toxicity from Ingestion of Plants.Most wild plants contain toxic components, and military personnel must be instructed notto consume local plants unless necessary for survival. Wild plants are difficult to identify,and poisonous plants can easily be mistaken for plants with parts safe to eat. Militarypersonnel will be forced by necessity to consume wild plants during survival operations.To avoid accidental poisoning, they should be thoroughly trained to recognize commonedible plants in the region.Many plants have fruiting bodies that appear edible or have attractive parts, such as thecastor bean. Some military personnel may be tempted to consume plants because they areused locally for various purposes. The cashew nut, Anacardium occidentale, is extremelytoxic if eaten uncooked, and the resin in the plant can cause severe dermatitis. Local loremay attribute medicinal qualities, psychotropic or aphrodisiac effects to native plants.Khat is a shrub cultivated in the Middle East for its leaves and berries, which are chewedor used as a tea. It has euphoric and amphetamine-like effects. Medical personnel andcombat commanders must be aware that some troops will be tempted to experiment withnative plants.In most cases of poisoning, care is usually symptom driven. The age and medicalcondition of the patient influence toxic response and medical treatment. Specialmonitoring and specific drug therapy are indicated in some instances. Because lifethreateningintoxications are rare, military medical personnel may have little experience inmanagement of plant poisoning. In is inappropriate to assume that the toxicity exhibitedby a single member of a genus will apply to all other species of that genus, or that all toxicmembers of a genus will have similar effects. Most toxic plants, regardless of theirultimate effects, induce fluid loss through vomiting and diarrhea. This is important whenmilitary personnel are operating in hot, arid areas. Plant toxicity varies with the plant part,maturity, growing conditions, and genetic variation.TG 196, Guide to Poisonous and Toxic Plants, provides information on toxic plantscommon in the US that also occur in other regions of the world. It includes a list of stateand regional poison control centers. For additional information, contact the Armed ForcesMedical Intelligence Center, Fort Detrick, MD, (301) 619-7574, DSN: 343-7574; FAX:(301) 619-2409 (DSN = 343).148