Killing off a Character — a Sure Thing With Water Hemlock

Don’t confuse this with other Hemlocks, toxic or otherwise.

Image by dference from Pixabay

The Water Hemlock is the most toxic indigenous plant in North America. It closely resembles the poison hemlock plant and several non-toxic wild plants. All parts of the plant are poisonous, especially the root.

While we usually want to kill off characters, we should alert readers to some of the dangers of this type of plant. Most fatal or near-fatal ingestions are from misidentification.

Toxic Dose

Ingestion of one-half an inch of the root can be fatal in adults. Children have died from using a hollow stem as a whistle. Effects are dose-dependent.

Early spontaneous vomiting may be helpful if a piece of undigested plant is regurgitated. This plant contains cicutoxin and cicutol, which will decompose with drying, but enough may be left to cause fatal poisoning. Cooking can also reduce toxicity but not eliminate it.

Pharmacokinetics

The toxins are absorbed following ingestion or dermal application.

Repeated applications of the oily juice to the skin (thinking it would ease itchy skin) has caused systemic poisoning.