Snipfact:

  The leaves of purple foxglove contain digitalis and eating just a few can be fatal. Digitalis is used in tiny does to treat people suffering form heart disease.

  Nicotine is a yellow oily liquid fond in tobacco. About 50 milligrams of nicotine would kill an adult within minutes.

  Deadly nightshade is also known as belladonna. It contains a poison called atropine. Less than 10 milligrams could kill a child.

  Curare is extracted from the bark of certain trees and its used by South American Indian tribes to tip their poison arrows when they go hunting.

  The death cap is a highly poisonous mushroom. It is responsible for almost 90 per cent of deaths from eating fungi. The poison causes severe diarrhoea and vomiting.

  Opium is extracted from the juice of a poppy and contains morphine. Small quantities of both are used legally as painkillers and illegally as drugs. Both can easily cause death.

  Ricin is extracted from the seeds of the castor oil plant and is more poisonous than cyanide or snake venom. Even minute doses of ricin can be fatal.

  Potatoes are safe to eat when cooked, but the stems and leaves of the plants contain a poison called solanine. If potatoes turn green, they may also contain solanine.