Tag: Colchicum

Case reports indicate that ingesting even a single flower or bulb of the *Colchicum* plant, also known as meadow saffron or autumn crocus, can be fatal. The answer to "Is Colchicum toxic?" is a definitive yes, due to the high concentration of the alkaloid colchicine found in all parts of the plant.

Dating back to ancient Egyptian and Greek texts, extracts from the toxic plant *Colchicum* were used to treat joint pain. It is crucial to understand that **colchicine and Colchicum are not the same thing**; colchicine is the isolated, standardized, and precisely dosed medication derived from the plant, which itself is highly poisonous.