Environmental & Analytical Toxicology

Forensic Study of Indian Toxicological Plants as Botanical Weapon (BW): A Review

Abstract

Balvant S. Khajja*,Mukesh Sharma,Rajveer Singh,Girish K. Mathur

Poisons, those silent weapons capable of destroying life mysteriously, secretly and without violence, have ever had a peculiar fascination for mankind. The plant originated weapons or “BOTANICAL WEAPONS (BW)” were also used by criminals in burglary, rape and murder cases. The Botanical weapons are may be the part of the toxic and poisonous plants or may be the toxic constituents of plants.
In India, there are so many cases were available where criminal by mixing it in food material or contact of the irritating toxic parts of the plants to victim’s body in the buses/trains. Poisonous plants are those biological weapons which cause serious problems or even death occur.
These weapons are first choice of professional poisoners in toxi-crime because they are easily available and having no cost. They have played so large a part, in romance as well as in crime, that the subject is one which claims the attention of even student of human nature. Through this article authors have studied some toxic and poisonous plants of India, which are generally used by the criminals to commit the crimes. In this paper, all the toxicological substances of these plants are also mentioned, which provide a prefect database for the forensic toxicologists.