Argemone mexicana

Did You Know?

• In India, during the festival Holika Dahan, adults and children worship by offering flowers of this species.
• The Seri of Sonora, Mexico use an infusion of the entire plant to relieve kidney pain post-natally.
• In South Africa, Argemone mexicana is classified as a category 1b invader under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act.

Chemical constituents

The seeds contain 22–36% of a pale yellow non-edible oil known as argemone oil, which holds the toxic alkaloids sanguinarine and dihydrosanguinarine. Four quaternary isoquinoline alkaloids—dehydrocorydalmine, jatrorrhizine, columbamine, and oxyberberine—have been isolated from the whole plant. Additional alkaloids include argemexicaines A and B, argemonine, argepavine, coptisine, cryptopine, allocryptopine, and chelerythrine. The seed pods secrete a pale yellow latex containing berberine and protopine.

Toxicity

This plant is entirely toxic. Its seeds look like mustard seeds, so they are sometimes mixed into mustard, making it poisonous. Katkar oil poisoning causes epidemic dropsy, marked by severe leg swelling. Eating any part can cause perianal itching, pneumonia, myocarditis, congestive heart failure, ascites, sarcoid-like skin changes, hair loss, and liver enlargement. Just one percent argemone oil in mustard oil can cause illness.