What happens when castor beans are ingested?
Castor beans should not be ingested because they are poisonous. These beans contain ricin, which is very toxic. How sick you will become depends on how much ricin you have been exposed to.DamagingWhen ricin gets into your system, it prevents your cells from making needed protein. If you don’t have these proteins, cells die; this is harmful and can even result in death.Great ThreatIf ricin has been purified by technical process it has even greater potential for causing sickness.IngestionAccording to the Centers for Disease Control, if you have ingested ricin via castor beans or in some other manner you will get sick in less than 6 to 12 hours. You may vomit, have abdominal pain, which can progress to kidney and liver problems, and severe dehydration. Symptoms will progress rapidly.InhaledIf you have inhaled ricin, your symptoms will occur even faster.
