Arrow poison

Arrow poisons are used to poison arrow heads or darts for the purposes of hunting and warfare. They have been used by indigenous peoples worldwide and are still in use in areas of South America, Africa and Asia. Notable examples are the poisons secreted from the skin of the poison dart frog, and curare (or 'ampi'), a general term for a range of plant-derived arrow poisons used by the indigenous peoples of South America.^[1]

History

Poisoned arrows have featured in

The modern terms "toxic" and "toxin" derive from the ancient Greek word for "bow", toxon, from Old Persian *taxa-, "an arrow".[4]^[5][6]

Poisoned arrows were used by real people in the ancient world, including the

In the Kingdom of Kush, arrows were often poison-tipped. There is some indication that poisoned arrows were used in battle against the Romans from 27 BC to 22 BC.^[7]

The use of poisoned arrows in hunting and warfare by some Native Americans has also been documented.^[9]

Over the ages, Chinese warfare has included projectiles poisoned with various toxic substances.^[10]

Varieties

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Arrow poisons around the world are created from many sources:

Plant-based poisons

• competitive antagonist that blocks nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on the post synaptic membrane of the neuromuscular junction. It is a muscle relaxant that causes death by paralyzing the respiratory system, resulting in asphyxiation
  .
• In Africa, many arrow poisons are made from plants that contain
  Nerium oleander), milkweeds (Asclepias), or Strophanthus, all of which are in the family Apocynaceae.^[1] Inee or onaye is a poison made from Strophanthus hispidus, which contains the cardiac glycoside strophanthin. It is used in sub-Saharan West Africa, particularly in the areas of Togo and Cameroon.^[11] Certain species of the genus Mostuea (family Gelsemiaceae) are used as additives to arrow poisons (other ingredients unspecified). The toxic principles of Mostuea are alkaloids, not cardiac glycosides.^[12]
• Poisoned arrows and
  mulberry and breadfruit family locally known as upas or ancar, is the most commonly used source for arrow poison in various ethnic groups in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The sap or juice of the seeds is smeared on the arrowhead on its own or mixed with other plant extracts.^{[13][14][15][16]} The fast-acting active ingredient (either antiarin, strychnine or strophanthin) attacks the central nervous system causing paralysis, convulsions and cardiac arrest.^[16]
• Several species of
  Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan.^[17] The Ainu and Matagi of northern Japan used an Aconitum paste called surku (スㇽク) to hunt brown bear and sika, applied to arrows fired from either bows or amappo.^[18][19] It was also used by the Butias and Lepchas in Sikkim and Assam.^[20][21] The Chinese used Aconitum poisons both for hunting^[22] and warfare.^[23]
• The
  spurge family, Euphorbiaceae.^[24]

Animal-based poisons

• In South America, tribes such as the Noanamá Chocó and Emberá Chocó of western
  P. bicolor is used in Risaralda Department and southern Chocó. In Cauca Department, only P. terribilis is used for dart making. The poison is generally collected by roasting the frogs over a fire, but the steroids
  in P. terribilis are powerful enough that it is sufficient to rub the dart on the back of the frog without killing it.
• In the northern
  pupae of beetles of the genus Diamphidia. It is applied to the arrow either by crushing the larva directly onto the arrow head and mixing it with plant sap to act as an binder, or by mixing a powder made from the dried larva with plant juices and applying that to the arrow tip. The toxin is slow attacking and large animals, including humans, can survive 4–5 days before succumbing to the effects.^[25]
• In the United States,
  lizards, has been used as a source.^{[citation needed}
  ]
• There is evidence of Pacific Island cultures using poison arrow and spear tips. An account from Hector Holthouse's book "Cannibal Cargoes"[26] (on the subject of the Australian Pacific Island Labour Trade) describes a canoe, resting on forks in the sand; within the canoe the body of a man rotting in the sun. The unsealed canoe allowing the putrefaction to collect in a notched shallow bowl in which arrow heads and spear tips are soaked. Wounds with these weapons caused tetanus infection.

Preparation

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The following 17th-century account describes how arrow poisons were prepared in China:

In making poison arrows for shooting wild beasts, the tubers of wild aconitum are boiled in water. The resulting liquid, being highly viscous and poisonous, is smeared on the sharp edges of arrowheads. These treated arrowheads are effective in the quick killing of both human beings and animals, even though the victim may shed only a trace of blood.^[22]

See also

• Blowgun
• Bushman poison (disambiguation)
• Fire Arrow
• Fukiya, Japanese blowgun
• Loire style blowgun (French page)

References