Carlina gummifera
Carlina gummifera
Safety & Hazards
Carlina gummifera contains the toxic diterpenoid glucosides atractyloside and carboxyatractyloside - these compounds can cause severe poisoning and are lethal in around 50% of cases of severe poisoning. The root is much more toxic than the leaves and flowers[ 1314 Title Toxic effect of some medicinal plants used in Moroccan traditional medicine Publication Moroccan J. Biol. 2-3 (2006) 21-30 Author Mohamed Bnouham; Fatima Zahra Merhfour; Mostafa Elachoui; Ab Publisher Year 2006 ISBN Description ]. Despite the plant’s well-known toxicity and herbalist’s knowledge of the great danger of this plant, its ingestion continues to be a common cause of poisoning. Children and shepherds especially will chew the root after confusing it with the soft and non-toxic root of Scolymus hispanicus (there were 240 severe poisoning cases in Morocco between 1981 and 2004). The toxic effects are hepatic necrosis and renal failure. Symptoms of poisoning appear 6 - 36 hours after ingestion and include vomiting; severe abdominal pain; blackish diarrhoea; headaches; cardiovascular disorders; anxiety; and coma. No specific pharmacological treatment is yet available (2005) and current therapeutic approaches are only symptomatic[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].
Botanical Description
Carlina gummifera is a stemless, herbaceous perennial plant producing a rosette of leaves15 - 40cm long and 5 - 12cm wide. The plant comes into flower and produces seed as the foliage dies down The plant is harvested from the wild for its root, which, despite its toxicity, is often used as a medicine and as a source of gum. The flowers are also sometimes utilized as food. The overall trend of the population of Carlina gummifera is stable, and the estimated extent of occurrence and the estimated area of occupancy are large. In addition, the impact of the threats is low to medium in a small range of the species, which will not cause the populations to decline very quickly in the near future. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].