POISONING BY ILLICIUM RELIGIOSUM SIEBOLD ^ 



By Luis E. Guerreeo, D. de la Paz, and Alfredo L, Guerrero 



(From the Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology, College of Medicine 



and Surgery, University of the Philippines) 



Poisoning from the use of parts of plants does not occur 

 very frequently in the Philippine Islands. We are not aware 

 of any official statistics or publication on this subject; neither 

 are we aware that the various species of poisonous plants which 

 abound in the Philippine flora have been defined and enumerated. 

 But in reality poisoning- from the use of these plants in the 

 Islands is by no means as rare as one would be led to 

 believe after consulting the literature on the subject. We know 

 from reliable sources that in Manila and in the provinces 

 have occurred intentional and accidental cases of poisoning by 

 nami (Dioscorea daemona), mand (Jatropha multifida), suma 

 (Anamirta cocculus), salago (Wikstroemia ovata), katbalonga 

 (Strychnos ignatii) , talampunay (Datura alba) , tuba (Jatropha 

 curcus), and other plants of still undetermined status. 



REPORT OF FOUR CASES OF POISONING BY ILLICIUM RELIGIOSUM 

 SIEBOLD WHICH OCCURRED IN MANILA 



Recently we have had occasion to observe four cases of 

 poisoning from the use of a decoction of sanki, the fruit of 

 IlUcium religiosum Siebold. Since the symptomatology and 

 therapy of this poisoning are not well defined, and no mention 

 of them is made in the textbooks of tropical medicine in current 

 use except that by Grail and Clarac(l) and by Mense,(2) the 

 report of these cases might be interesting and of some clinical 

 value. 



CASB 1 



Mr. N. N., 50 years old, believed through hearsay that a 

 decoction of sanki would be a good stimulant, stomachic, and 

 excellent remedy for cholera. On October 24, 1914, at 3 o'clock 

 in the afternoon, he took two cups of a strong decoction of 

 sanki (exact quantity of the poison taken undetermined). At 

 4 o'clock, that is, one hour later, repeated vomitings occurred. 

 These were accompanied by bowel evacuation of large quantities 

 of fluids, cramp in the calf muscles, profuse perspiration, and 

 intense thirst. The patient complained of severe headache, 

 vertigo, and extreme weakness, especially in the lower extrem- 

 ities. At 4.30 he became restless, tossed in bed, and after a 



' Received for publication September, 1916. 



203 



