Why is it in the News?

Two Kerala government-controlled temple boards, which together manage 2,500-odd temples in the state, have banned the use of oleander flowers (locally known as arali) in temple offerings after a 24-year-old woman died after accidentally chewing some oleander leaves.

What is Oleander?

• Nerium oleander, commonly known as oleander or rosebay, is a plant cultivated worldwide in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions.
• Known for its drought tolerance, the shrub is often used for ornamental and landscaping purposes.
• In Kerala, the plant is known by the names of arali and kanaveeram and is grown along highways and beaches as a natural, green fencing.
• There are different varieties of oleander, each with a flower of a different colour.

How is oleander used in traditional medicine?

• The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (API), a government document that describes the quality, purity, and strength of drugs used in Ayurveda, mentions oleander.
  • According to API, an oil prepared from the root bark can be used to treat skin diseases.
• The plant has been “frequently described in Brihattrayi, Nighantus and other classical Ayurvedic texts.
  • Charka [Charak Samhita] has prescribed the leaves of white-flowered variety externally for chronic and obstinate skin diseases of serious nature including leprosy.

How toxic is oleander?

• Even though it is prescribed in some ayurvedic formulations, oleander’s toxicity has also long been recognised across the world.
• The plant has been “exploited therapeutically and as an instrument of suicide since antiquity.
• Moreover, ingestion or inhalation of smoke from burning oleander can also be intoxicating.
  • This is due to the properties of cardiac glycosides (a type of chemical) including oleandrin, folinerin, and digitoxigenin, which are present in all parts of the plant.
• Cardiac glycosides are steroidal compounds capable of exerting pharmacological effects on cardiac muscle.
  • The primary therapeutic value of these glycosides lies in their ability to exert profound tonic effects on the heart.
  • However, the therapeutic window is small and overdose/toxicity is frequently encountered when using these drugs.
• Effects of oleander toxicity include nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, rashes, confusion, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, slow heartbeat, and, in extreme cases, death.
• Symptoms last for 1 to 3 days and may require a hospital stay.