NERIUM ODORUM (FLEANDER) POISONING IN LIVESTOCK
By NARAIN DAS KEHAR and GOVIND RAU, Animal Nutrition Section, Imperial Veterinary Research
Institute, Izatnagar
(Received for publication on 26 May 1943)
ON receiving a report from the Veterinary
Investigation Officer, North-West Frontier Pro-
vince, in 1939 that several animals in a herd had
been poisoned by plants on which they had grazed
in a particular area near Parachinar, feeding trials
with the suspected plants were undertaken on hill
bulls, sheep and goats.
This article presents observations on symptom
and post mortem changes after Nerium odorum
had been fed to the animals.
Nerium odorum (Punjab—kaner:
Bengal—
karachi: Baluchistan—gandeli) is a large, glab-
rous, evergreen shrub with a milky juice, bearing
sweet-scented rose-red or white flowers. Accord-
ing to Kirtikar and Basu [1938] it is extensively
cultivated throughout the greater part of India as
an ornamental plant in the garden. In the wild
state it is found in the upper Gangetic plains, on
the Himalayan ranges from Nepal to Kashmir up
to an elevation of 6,500 ft., on the salt ranges,
and in Waziristan, Baluchistan, Central and
South India.
SYMPTOMS OF POISONING
Hill bull. One hill bull was drenched with a
water suspension of 200 gm. of leaves, stem and
flowers of the plant. After a short time, the animal
began to grunt and retch. Micturition and defeca-
tion became very frequent. (In 30 minutes there
were four micturitions and three defecations). After
about ten minutes, the pulse became weak and the
respiration somewhat rapid. Death occurred in
convulsions in about 35-40 minutes after drenching.
Goat. A preliminary feeding of 10 gm. of the
plant caused trembling throughout the entire
body. After two hours, the trembling lessened,
but continued for another two hours. When similar
dose was given on the following day, the animal's
temperature became sub-normal, and death occur-
red in about two hours.
Sheep. In sheep the only symptom, after 10
gm. of the plant, was laboured respiration. Death
occurred during the night.
POSTMORTEM CHANGES
In all cases there was a slight congestion of the
fundus portion of the abomasum and duodenum,
and the contents of the recticulam were semi-
fluid. The abdominal cavity in sheep contained
500 c.c. of faintly blood-tinged fluid.
EFFECT OF POISONING ON MEAT
The heart and muscles from various parts of
the body of both sheep and goats that died of
kaner poisoning were fed separately to two dogs
for two days without any ill effects. The heart
(52 gm.) and muscle (49 gm.) were fed to dogs
weighing 52 and 48 lb. respectively.
TOXICITY OF THE PLANT
The plant appears to be highly toxic. Snipe
[1887] fed two ounces of the leaves night and
morning for three days to a horse and observed
symptoms of dull abdominal pain, anorexia and
yellowness.
Kobert [1902] found that meat roasted on skewers
of kaner wood had been responsible for death in
soldiers. According to Walsh [1909],' a single
growing top of the plant proved fatal' to horses and
cattle.
From the table given below it will be seen that
the minimum lethal dose is 4 gm. per kg. body
weight for bulls; 0.3 gm. for sheep and 1.2 gm.
for goats. Steyn [1929] found that the minimum
lethal dose of the dried leaves and flowers was
5 gm. per kg. body weight for the rabbit. It is
stated that a few leaves may cause death in
human beings [Von Itallie and Bylsma, 1928].
Animal
Hill bull
Goat
Sheep
Body
weight
lb.
218
54
71
mount
of
kaner
fed
gm.
400
20
10
Remarks
Death within 1½ hours
10 gm. per day, death on
the 2nd day
Death after six hours
The writers found both the white and rose red
varieties to be poisonous. This is in conformity
with the observations of Wilson [quoted by
Pammel, 1911].
The plant is considered to cause systolic heart
failure in frogs, and Pendse and Dutt [1934]
found that it contains a strong cardiac poison
producing a depression of the heart.
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