A review on phytotoxins and qualitative tests for their detection

Abstract

Plants and their products have been used in diets, therapeutics, hunting, fishing, war and killing living beings. Bioactive molecules are responsible for both medicinal as well as poisonous nature of a plant. Dose or quantity explores whether a plant is poisonous or not and it also determines the extent of toxicity produced by the plants. Toxic principles which are synthesised by the plants as a defence system can produce adverse effects in the consumer by various mechanisms. The important phytotoxins include cyanogenic glycosides, cardiac glycosides, toxic alkaloids, toxalbumins, saponins, resins, tannins etc. Livestock with fodder scarcity and access to the poisonous plants are at high risk of poisoning. This paper provides brief information regarding various phytotoxic principles highlighting their sources, toxicological effects and qualitative detection tests.