Chewed castor bean seed—need help/advice ASAP!

So, I’ve got a bit of a situation on my hands. Here’s the deal: my mom’s cousin from out in the Midwest swung by this afternoon. We ended up chatting about digestive issues—you know how it goes—and she mentioned she actually brought along some castor seeds because her other cousin and brother back home told her that...
They’re actually pretty good for digestion, I guess. And man, the way she just chewed through two of them... then she actually offered one to me.
So, I’m basically stuck in this holding pattern right now. That day, I had been running a fever since the morning and just felt totally wiped out. I hadn't really eaten anything substantial, so when the food was offered, I just turned it down—I didn't even know what it was, so I figured, why bother? But then she went ahead and pushed it on my mom, being super intense about it, telling her strictly that she had to actually chew it instead of just swallowing it whole. Anyway, maybe ten or twenty minutes later, I’m sitting there with today’s edition of the New York Post, reading through an article about the most lethal toxins out there—you know, stuff from plants and all that. I was actually reading it out loud to everyone, just stressing how dangerous this stuff is. Then I flip the page and see a section on castor bean seeds being listed among the deadliest poisons. I look at the picture of those seeds and then I turn to my mom and ask...
Hey, what was it you told my cousin those seeds were called again? She mentioned castor beans.
I almost had a heart attack! I'm jumping online right now to dig for more details, and man, I definitely have some thoughts on this.
Read this! Seriously, my mom actually threw up after she did it, but since she chewed that one seed...
Man, she was actually offering those two?! I mean, talk about risky. They’re saying it’s even more dangerous now, so she’s sitting in the ER as we speak.
I'm at the hospital right now. When we called 911, they told us an ambulance would be here immediately, so it should be pretty quick. I guess.
It’s just straight-up toxic. Like, she’s over there right now, and I can’t even get my head on straight because of it. Now she’s got nothing.
So, there aren't any actual symptoms listed, which is weird. It says the first signs were nausea, stomach pain, and vomiting—though, honestly, she was basically forcing herself to throw up on purpose. They ran some tests on her just now and everything supposedly looks fine. Her red blood cell count is okay, but they’re still constantly checking her blood sugar levels. I was digging around online and found out that...
I mean, prevention is everything, right? Like, they should have been looking into ways to mitigate that toxin—maybe through some kind of glucose infusion or something similar—but honestly, they didn't even give them that. I guess it just wasn't on the radar.
I mean, she says it’s necessary, right? But honestly, the doctor at the clinic told us that this toxin spreads way slower than everyone thinks. I guess we'll see.
I mean, if we're talking about bloodwork, you really have to stay on top of it. You need to be checking your levels constantly—specifically your blood sugar and those red blood cell counts. I guess it’s just one of those things you can't really ignore if you want to keep an eye on how everything is functioning.
Does anyone actually have any insight into whether the internet is truly as toxic as everyone says? I mean, is it legit that bad, or is it just all noise?
Honestly, that description was pretty terrible. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I’ve never even heard of that thing before, let alone seen it.
I’ve always been pretty skeptical about that whole "backyard remedy" thing—you know, those folks who think every weed growing in their garden is some kind of miracle cure. I guess I just figured it was all folklore and nonsense, but it turns out...
So, I was scrolling through some stuff online and apparently, it’s the processed oil from that plant that's actually supposed to be the good part, not the seeds themselves. Now I'm low-key spiraling. My cousin was just telling me how her aunt went out and gathered a bunch of them just a few days ago, so now I'm sitting here totally freaking out about it.
A whole bag of those seeds? And they actually think eating that stuff is going to fix their digestion? I mean, maybe, if you believe in that kind of thing. Personally, nothing works for me anymore. I guess I’m just beyond help at this point.
I’m honestly just lost here. I have no clue what my next move should be. If anyone out there actually knows what's going on or has some kind of insight, please, let me know. I'm stuck.
Hey, can you guys please let me know?

Okay, look... man. God. This is a textbook example of a toxic plant. You can make ricin from those seeds—an incredibly potent poison that offers zero way out once it hits you.
The seeds themselves aren't quite as lethal as pure ricin, obviously, because the toxin is bound up inside them. They’re mostly harmless if the outer shell stays intact, but if someone chews them up, they become extremely dangerous.

You absolutely have to find out if she gave them to anyone else. One or two seeds probably won't kill someone, but they could definitely cause organ damage. If anyone eats a handful and dies, she’s looking at a murder charge.

I honestly can't wrap my head around this. Everyone has heard of "castor oil," which is risky itself if you don't dose it right because it acts as a heavy laxative, but who talks about the actual seeds? When it comes to the seeds, you either know they're freaking poisonous or you're clueless.

I really hope everyone pulls through without any lasting damage.

Maria Taylor58 said:I've always been skeptical about using those "folk" herbs as medicine.

🤦

"Folk" remedies are incredibly useful when they are in the hands of people who actually understand what they're consuming and what a safe dosage looks like. In the wrong hands, they can be lethal. The issue isn't the plant itself or its medicinal properties—it’s the user. Keep your skepticism if you want, especially if you've already managed to poison yourself.

Good grief!😲 You two are just as delusional as she is!🙄
Someone report that woman already! Seriously, we need to start locking people like this up for good.😠
This could easily be charged as attempted murder! It’s nothing but straight-up dangerous quackery!

And you’d probably go choke on some garbage too, wouldn't you? 🙄
People are way too quick to think every plant is edible, even though most of them are straight-up POISONOUS!

Yeah, I guess we really played ourselves there. It’s fine, though—she finally got home and found blood in her stool, so
they said they'll run more tests later today..

The only thing is, some other doctor showed up at the ER and asked what was going on, so they told him everything that happened.
And he’s just over there acting like it's no big deal, telling them there's nothing to panic about, basically saying it's just like when kids get a little stomach bug and stop eating for a bit... yeah, you know how it goes.

Maria Taylor58 said:Yeah, we really played ourselves there. It’s fine, she got home and found blood in the stool,
and they're saying they'll check everything again today..

The thing is, this second doctor showed up at the ER and asked what was going on. When they told him what happened,
he basically brushed it off, saying there was no reason to panic and acting like he knew better than everyone else—claiming the kid was just being a picky eater or had some minor stomach bug and stopped eating because of it. Just typical nonsense.

What kind of clown is that guy? He should have his medical license revoked immediately. For God's sake. 🤦

placidjackal36 said:Seriously, who is this clown? They need to pull his license immediately. For God's sake. 🤦

I mean, fine, but that doesn't really change things for me 🤷 if that's how I'm finding out

They’re totally ripping you off. Next time, just toss about 10 ounces of castor beans into the chili. That should keep the bloating away. I'm done with this stuff... 🙏

P.S. You could probably throw in some oleander or mistletoe too... just to give it a little extra kick. Works great in other stews, too. 🙏

@Herp look, I’m sorry if I double-posted this on three different subforums
but honestly, not everyone keeps up with every single board, and I was kind of freaking out.
can you at least close the thread in the gardening section instead of the world news one? 😢

here’s the photo—seriously, tell me I'm not crazy and that this isn't it 🙂
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/305/foto0012ad.jpg

@placidjackal36/">@@placidjackal36 everyone who actually ate it has been notified, but nobody else is going to bother seeing a doctor
it was just my mom who went.

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/305/foto0012ad.jpg

Oh, absolutely.

Man, oh boy...

She just got her latest lab results back about an hour ago. The procedure is set for around 7 PM. Her red blood cell count looks fine, but her glucose is a little high—sitting at 7.22. I’ve been scouring the internet, but honestly, I can't find anything useful about this specific thing. I read somewhere that they usually give glucose via IV in cases of poisoning (which she didn't get), so maybe that means this isn't actually a big deal? I don't know, I guess.
The staff just handed us the papers and sent us home. Not a single doctor at the ER bothered to say a word about that reading.

So, we asked them if her red blood cell count would drop or spike and cause issues later on.
And the people at the hospital? They have no clue. 😲
Does anyone here happen to know?

Just ask anyone on here, but honestly, there shouldn't be any issues with the erythrocytes. Or so I think. And yeah, erythrocytes and proteins aren't even the same thing.
Anyway, check out my stew recipe.

It’s been over 12 hours now... everything seems fine... I guess we'll see if it stays that way...

So, what did we actually learn from all this? 🤣

It’s probably better to just keep stuff like that to yourself, because honestly, making those kinds of snide remarks doesn't really do 🙄
any favors, especially since you never truly know what kind of curveball life might throw at you or your family tomorrow...

Maria Taylor58 said:keep things like that to yourself, because making snide remarks right now isn't helping 🙄,
since you have no idea what might happen to you or your family down the road...

True, life is unpredictable, but keeping quiet isn't the answer either. Your situation could serve as a cautionary tale for others—a lesson in why you shouldn't mess around with things you don't understand or take medical advice from some neighborhood old lady like Mary.
So, don't go getting mad at the people on this forum 🙂, get mad at her. Personally, I’d report her; she's a danger to the community, not to mention how much I'd love to see her face if she had actually tried to kill my mother and me. Who knows, maybe it was intentional. You find all kinds of psychopaths out there, and those old women can be the most vicious of them all. 🙂

It's just crazy when I think about how many people on the alternative health boards constantly chew on random seeds thinking it'll somehow fix their looks... it's pathetic.🤦

Maria Taylor58 said:so basically another doctor showed up at the ER and asked what was going on, and after hearing the whole story
this guy just goes, it’s really nothing to worry about, there’s no reason to panic,claiming he knew the kid could eat just fine, and since other kids got diarrhea and stopped eating, that was basically it—just typical nonsense.

Honestly, someone needs to report that guy to the medical board.
Based on how you're describing your town, it sounds like a total madhouse.