Chondrodendron tomentosum

Safety & Hazards

The root contains a number of alkaloids and is much used by the indigenous peoples of the region to make curare^[1]. This is not a true poison, rather an extremely powerful muscle relaxant that can make the victim unable to move for a considerable period. Death from curare poison is caused by asphyxia, because the muscles become so relaxed that the muscles operating the diaphragm and lungs stop functioning. Interestingly, it only works if the poison gets into the bloodstream; ingesting curare poison (and even eating the meat of curare-poisoned animals) has no toxic effect since it isn't absorbed in the stomach^[2].