Grass pea
General poisoning notes:
Grass pea (Lathyrus
sativa) has been used as a food and forage crop in Europe and Asia, where
ingesting the seeds for 3-6 months can cause neurolathyrism, a syndrome
characterized by muscular rigidity, weakness, and paralysis of the leg muscles.
In severe cases, victims may be reduced to crawling. Young men between 20 and
30 years old are primarily affected. Livestock may also develop paralysis if
they ingest grass pea for a long time. Neurolathyrism still occurs in India,
where grass pea is used as flour (Cooper and Johnson 1984, Roy and Spencer
1989). Poisoning from grass pea is unlikely in Canada. However, some other Lathyrus
species that occur in Canada may also contain BOAA.
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Lathyrus sativus L.
Vernacular
name(s): grass pea
Scientific family
name: Leguminosae
Vernacular family
name: pea
Geographic Information
Plant or plant
parts used in or around the home.
Toxic parts:
Mature fruit, seeds.
Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:
BOAA
(beta-N-oxalylamino-L-alanine) is generally regarded as the cause of
neurolathyrism, although the exact nomenclature is still under study. The
concentration of BOAA in the seed varies from 0.1 to 2.5%. This variation may
help explain the conflicting reports of toxicity (Roy and Spencer 1989).
Toxic plant chemicals:
beta-N-oxalylamino-L-alanine
Animals/Human Poisoning:
Note: When an
animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993)
contained no detailed explanation.
Humans
General symptoms of
poisoning:
Paralysis
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