After our popular toxin interview series featuring Botulinum Toxin, Carbon Monoxide, and Carfentanil, we received many requests to interview one of the most discussed natural poisons in history. Today, in what I am calling a face-to-face interview, we can finally meet Ricin — a plant-derived killer who has moved their notoriety from toxicology textbooks to the pages of newspapers through topics of espionage and assassination.

Interview with Ricin

Interviewer: Hello, Mr. Ricin, my name is Omid Mehrpour, a medical toxicologist in the US. It is my honor to do this interview with you.

Ricin: Thanks for having me.

Interviewer: Welcome, Ricin. You are feared in every part of the world as a poison, yet you are derived from a common plant. How does that work?

Ricin: Well, there is no question about that. I am extracted from the seed of the castor bean plant (Ricinus communis), a plant that grows in gardens and next to roads. The plant leaves are quite beautiful, but I am the dark side of the plant; I am a protein so toxic that just a few milligrams can kill you!

Interviewer: Ricin, how do you kill?

Ricin: I'm a ribosome inactivator. Once I am inside a body, I inactivate protein synthesis so cells have no proteins, and they die. When organs stop functioning, death will often follow within days. There is no antidote for me, so once I begin, treatment is only supportive!

Interviewer: How are you so deadly among all poisonous plants?

Ricin: There are two aspects: my dosage and my delivery. I can be inhaled, ingested, and injected. I am lethal at a tiny dose, and the initial symptoms can take hours to appear, thus providing me enough time to cause irreversible bodily damage before the victim and medics even realize that ricin is involved.

Interviewer: You have been present in infamous assassination attempts. Want to comment?

Ricin: I have notoriety due to a case in London in 1978 when Georgian dissident Georgi Markov was assassinated with a pellet containing ricin, which was fired from an umbrella. I have appeared in murder plots, terrorist threats, and even as a fictitious toxin stateside as of late in the popular drama “The Blacklist.”

Interviewer: Ricin, do you have any known uses?

Ricin: Not directly. I am studied and/or researched by biochemists who use a range of technologies in the field of cancer research with “immunotoxins,” where the goal is to have an agent that will primarily target tumor cells to spare healthy cells. Scientists are working to harness me.

Interviewer: How can the general public protect themselves from You Ricin?

Ricin: Don’t handle raw castor beans. If you are growing castor, keep them away from children and pets. And remember, crushing raw castor bean seeds releases ricin. One or two castor beans that are chewed can kill a child.

Interviewer: What message do you have for the government and policymakers?

Ricin: Secure me. My plant is very easy to grow, but to process me takes some intention and effort. The presence of laws governing my ownership and transport means you can help prevent me from being exploited by those who would deliberately use me. Awareness by customs officials, postal inspectors, law enforcement, etc., is essential.

Interviewer: How can you be destroyed?

Ricin: Heat is my enemy. I get deactivated by boiling or autoclaving for a substantial time. This is why industrial cold-pressed castor oil is safe to use – I am removed and destroyed during the processing of the seed.

Interviewer: Any last words?

Ricin: I am living proof that danger can grow right in front of your eyes. I was a part of nature long before you weaponized me, but now that I have the potential for harm, you should not ignore that potential. Respect the castor plant, respect me – and you may stay alive.

Ricin: I am a silent assassin from nature’s garden.

Interviewer: We trust this exclusive interview will help convey the lethal potential of Ricin and will help reinforce the need for prevention, awareness, and preparedness. Please share your feedback and help spread this message.

Interviewer: Thank you, Ricin, for participating in this interview and offering these valuable insights. And thank you to our readership for coming along while we explored the realities of one of nature's most powerful poisons. I am Dr. Omid Mehrpour, a medical toxicologist and the founder of MedicalToxic.com, a website dedicated to providing evidence-based material, clinical decision tools, and public health education on poisoning and ways to prevent and respond to poisonings. Stay informed, stay safe, and let us continue to work together to save lives.