The highly toxic substance of a plant used in a unique fishing method also has many surprising applications.
Fish poison or Derris elliptica is the name of a climbing plant belonging to the legume family, commonly found in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, and the islands in the southwestern Pacific.
The toxin from the fish poison plant acts as an organic pesticide.
This plant contains roots rich in rotenone, a highly toxic substance to fish, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates, but only moderately toxic to humans and warm-blooded animals.
Since ancient times, in Vietnam and other countries in the region, indigenous people have utilized the toxicity of the fish poison plant to carry out a unique fishing method. The roots of the fish poison plant are crushed and thrown into water where fish are abundant. Fish stunned or killed by the rotenone toxin will float to the surface, making them easy to collect.
The toxin from the fish poison plant also functions as a type of organic pesticide, used to control pests on crops, combat parasites in livestock, or eliminate harmful insects in homes.
The roots of the fish poison plant can be used as an ingredient for making deworming medicine.
Despite its biological origin, experts in ecology and organic farming do not consider pesticides derived from the fish poison plant to be ecologically sound because it can have negative environmental impacts if misused.
In the field of medicine, the roots of the fish poison plant can be used as an ingredient for making deworming medication and treatment for scabies.
The fish poison plant has alternating leaves, small pink flowers. The fruit of the fish poison plant resembles a pod, measuring 3–10 cm in length, with 1-5 seeds that contain a potent toxin; mistakenly consuming this fruit can lead to poisoning, which is very dangerous.
