Poisson Euphorbia ( lat. Euphorbia poissonii [2] ; also known as Euphorbia poissoni [3] and, incorrectly, as Euphorbia poisoni ) - a very toxic and irritant succulent shrub ; species of the genus Euphorbia ( Euphorbia ) [4] . The native land of this species is northern Nigeria , where local farmers extract its latex for use as a pesticide .
| Poisson Euphorbia |
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| Subtribe : | Euphorbiinae Griseb. , 1859 |
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Euphorbia poissonii pax |
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In addition to the various irritant phorbol types of esters , latex contains resiniferatoxin and thiniatoxin ; two closely related highly irritant resiniferonol ester types [4] . The most active toxin , resiniferatoxin, activates pain receptors in the same way as capsaicin , but is much more powerful. This repeatedly stimulates neurons, causing severe, burning pain .
Due to the selective nature of binding and killing pain receptors, leaving other nerve cells intact, resiniferatoxin is currently being studied as a possible treatment for chronic pain .
According to the Scovilla scale of hotness, resiniferatoxin and thiniatoxin occupy the first and second places, respectively.
| Scovilla Scale Unit | Type of substance |
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| 16,000,000,000 | Resiniferatoxin |
| 5.3 billion | Thiniatoxin |
| 16,000,000 | Pure capsaicin |