Oleander
Other Names: Adelfa, Baladre, Cascabela Thevetia, Cerbera Thevetia, Common Oleander, Exile Tree, Huang Hua Jia, Jia Zhu Tao, Kaner, Karvir, Karvira, Laurel Rosa, Laurier-Rose, Nerium Indicum, Nerium Oleander, Nerium Dorum, Oleanderblatter, Oleandri Folium, Rose Bay, Rose Laurel, Sweet Scented Oleander, Thevetia Neriifolia, Thevetia Peruviana, Yellow Oleander.
Oleander is a plant. Its use as a poison is well known. In fact, oleander is reportedly a favorite suicide agent in Sri Lanka, where oleander poisonings exceed 150 per 100,000 each year. That’s a high number. Approximately 10% of these ingestions are fatal.
See also : Oleander Protocol
Special Precautions of Oleander
- Oleander is UNSAFE for anyone to take by mouth. It can cause a burning sensation in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, headache, stomach pain, serious heart problems, and many other side effects. Taking the oleander leaf, oleander leaf tea, or oleander seeds has led to deadly poisonings.
- There isn’t enough information to know whether or not it is safe to apply oleander to the skin. It’s best not to do this.
- It’s UNSAFE for anyone to take oleander by mouth. But oleander is especially dangerous for people with the following conditions:
- Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Taking oleander by mouth might cause an abortion. There isn’t enough information to know whether or not it is safe for pregnant or breast-feeding women to apply oleander to the skin. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
- Too little potassium or too much calcium (electrolyte imbalance): Oleander affects the heart. An electrolyte imbalance also affects the heart. It’s especially dangerous to use oleander if you have an electrolyte imbalance.
- Heart disease: Don’t use oleander to treat heart disease without the supervision of a healthcare professional. It’s too dangerous to self-medicate.
- Antibiotics (Macrolide antibiotics) interacts with oleander
- Antibiotics (Tetracycline antibiotics) interacts with oleander
- Digoxin (Lanoxin) interacts with oleander
- Quinine interacts with oleander
- Stimulant laxatives interacts with oleander
- Water pills (Diuretic drugs) interacts with oleander
- Calcium supplements interacts with oleander
The benefits of Oleander are
Despite the danger, oleander seeds and leaves are used to make medicine. Oleander is used for heart conditions, asthma, epilepsy, cancer, painful menstrual periods, leprosy, malaria, ringworm, indigestion, and venereal disease; and to cause abortions. Oleander contains chemicals called glycosides, which can affect the heart. These chemicals can slow the heart rate down.
- Heart problems : A fixed combination of oleander leaf powdered extract, pheasant's eye fluid extract, lily-of-the-valley fluid extract, and squill powdered extract has been used for treating mild heart failure.
- Asthma.
- Seizures.
- Cancer : the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) concluded the first trial phase of oleander extract and found it to be safe for use in the treatment of cancer. Bladder, colorectal, breast, pancreatic and appendecal cancers responded favorably to the extract with very little adverse reaction or cariotoxicity. Since the second phase of testing has yet to occur, a pharmaceutical drug based on oleander is currently unavailable for general use. See also : Oleander Protocol
- Menstrual pain.
- As a poison.
- Skin problems, when applied to the skin.
- Warts, when applied to the skin : Oleander is sometimes applied to the skin to treat skin problems and warts.
