Ricin (/ ˈ r aɪ s ɪ n / RY-sin) is a lectin (a carbohydrate-binding protein) and a highly potent toxin produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis. The median lethal dose (LD 50) of ricin for mice is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body weight via intraperitoneal injection. Oral exposure to ricin is far less toxic.

Feb 5, 2025 · Ricin poisoning is an illness you get from the toxic effects of castor plant seeds. Processing those seeds is part of making castor oil. But those seeds also contain tiny amounts of ricin (pronounced “RY-sin”), a toxic protein. Chewing and swallowing castor seeds can release ricin, which may harm you.

Sep 6, 2024 · Ricin is a poison found naturally in castor beans. If castor beans are chewed and swallowed, the ricin that comes out can cause injury. Ricin can be made from the waste material left over from processing castor beans. Ricin can be in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet. It can also be dissolved in water or weak acid.

Mar 11, 2025 · Ricin, toxic protein (toxalbumin) occurring in the beanlike seeds of the castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis). Ricin, discovered in 1888 by German scientist Peter Hermann Stillmark, is one of the most toxic substances known.

Jan 18, 2025 · Symptoms of ricin poisoning depend on whether a person breathes in the ricin, eats it or gets it in a shot. When breathed in, ricin causes fever, chest tightness, cough and breathing problems. Ricin can cause a fluid buildup in the lungs, known as pulmonary edema.

Ricin Fact Sheet 1. What is Ricin? – Ricin is a toxic protein made from castor beans. Castor beans are processed throughout the world to make castor oil. Ricin is part of the waste “mash” produced when castor oil is mad. The toxin (poison) can be extracted from the beans, purified, and treated to form a powder that can be inhaled. However ...

Feb 4, 2004 · Ricin is produced from the byproduct of making caster beans into caster oil called white mash. Depending on where you were exposed to ricin (inhaled, digested, or skin and eyes) it can cause symptoms like fever, cough, nausea, dehydration, seizures, and death.

Ricin works by getting inside the cells of a person’s body and preventing the cells from making the proteins they need. Without the proteins, cells die. Eventually this is harmful to the whole body, and death may occur.

Sep 3, 2020 · Ricin is a naturally occurring carbohydrate-binding protein produced in the seeds of ricinus communis, the plant that produces castor oil. It is toxic when inhaled, ingested, or injected. As few as five to ten micrograms per kilogram can be lethal.

Ricin is an extremely toxic plant protein derived from the seeds of the castor bean plant (Ricinus communis). It is easily extracted from the castor bean meal that remains as a by-product of castor oil production. Ricin causes toxicity by inhibiting the formation (synthesis) of proteins in the cells of the exposed individual.