A poison is a substance that can cause serious functional problems in a living being and even cause death.
Venom is a substance capable of producing serious functional alterations in a living being . It is something harmful to health that can even lead to death .
There are poisons of plant origin (such as certain substances that appear in hemlock ), animal (from snakes ), mineral ( arsenic ) and artificial (substances synthesized by man in laboratories).
For example: "If you travel to the Amazon jungle , be careful with snakes: there are some that when biting inject a poison that can be lethal if you do not go to an assistance center soon" , "My grandmother died of poisoning and her last moments were really very painful" , "At school they taught me that you should not eat wild mushrooms since some contain poison and can be harmful."
The poison and the doses
It can be said that a poison - from the Latin venenum - is any liquid, gaseous or solid toxic substance capable of blocking or inhibiting a chemical reaction. Paracelsus assured that "everything is poison, depending on the dose." The famous doctor and alchemist referred to the fact that any substance becomes toxic with very high doses, including water or oxygen. Poisons, therefore, are harmful substances even at very low doses.
It is possible to find different symbolic or metaphorical uses of the concept. Poison, therefore, can also be a thing that causes moral damage or a negative feeling (such as resentment or anger): "Yesterday I argued with my boss and I was left with a lot of poison," "You can't live angry with life: you have to get rid of the poison before it turns against you .
There are mushrooms that contain poison.
The most dangerous
Below are eight of the most dangerous poisons ever known to humans; Some of them are part of the daily lives of many people without them knowing it, which shows a worrying level of misinformation that, in certain cases, can cost us our lives :
- Botulinum toxin : the danger of this poison appears when ingested, as it causes a collapse of the nervous system and causes a terribly painful death. It is worth mentioning that it is used in very common beauty treatments in the last decade, and in this area it is known as Botox .
- Ricin : If ingested or inhaled, it attacks the respiratory system and internal organs, causing death.
- Anthrax : inhaling this poison begins a flu-like state that does not end until it destroys the respiratory system and, with it, the life of its victim. It is also lethal through touch.
- Sarin gas : this is a product that was created as a pesticide and, perhaps as a fair consequence for trying to end the life of an innocent species, it is fatal for humans if inhaled. A small dose is enough to put a person into a coma from which they will not wake up.
- Tretrodotoxin : especially known to come from fugu (the Japanese name for pufferfish). Those who consume products of animal origin should remember that the poison of this species does not disappear after cooking and that it can end the life of an adult person in a few hours, after having completely paralyzed them.
- Cyanide : it exists in nature in various forms, although it is also possible to manufacture it without major complications. Ingesting or inhaling it leads to cardiac arrest and, minutes later, death.
- Mercury : inhaling it puts the respiratory and central nervous systems in serious danger.
- Strychnine : This pesticide is not that powerful, but if ingested or inhaled it generates a series of spasms so violent that they end up exhausting the victim, taking their life.