Fish toxins

Fish toxins or fish stupefying plants have historically been used by many hunter gatherer cultures to stun fish, so they become easy to collect by hand. Some of these toxins paralyse fish, which can then be easily collected. The process of documenting many fish toxins and their use is ongoing, with interest in potential uses from medicine, agriculture, and industry.

Use of the herbal fish poisons has been documented in a number of sources involving catching fish from fresh and sea water.

Tribal people historically used various plants for medicinal and food exploitation purposes. Use of fish poisons is a very old practice in the history of humankind. In 1212 AD, King Frederick II prohibited the use of certain plant piscicides, and by the 15th century, similar laws had been decreed in other European countries, as well. All over the globe, indigenous people use various fish poisons to kill fish, including America and among Tarahumara Indians.

Herbal fish-stupefying agents are proven means of fishing, which do not kill fish like chemical poisons. Many of these plants have been used for a long time by local people, and have been tested and found to have medicinal properties, such as Careya arborea, which is used as analgesic and antidiarrheal. Some of the plants, such as C. collinus, are traditional poisons used in the different part of the country. Bark extracts of Lannea coromandelica caused lysis of cell membranes followed by fragmentation of cellular materials.

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