This list covers 46 poisons, running alphabetically from “Cyanide” to “Caterpillar venom.” You’ll find substances from every corner of life, including plants, venomous animals, industrial chemicals, and everyday household items. Some show up in medicine, farming, or manufacturing, while others exist purely as natural defenses that plants and animals use to survive.
Poisons are substances that harm or kill living things when they enter the body, even in small amounts. They can come from nature, like snake venom or toxic mushrooms, or from human-made sources, like pesticides and industrial solvents. One striking example is coniine, the toxin in poison hemlock that was famously used to execute the Greek philosopher Socrates.
Below you’ll find the table with Poison, Source, Effects, Antidote, and Description.
Poison: the common name of each toxic substance, so you can quickly identify and search for the one you’re curious about.
Source: where the poison comes from, whether it’s a plant, animal, chemical process, or everyday product you might encounter.
Effects: what happens to the body after exposure, helping you understand the danger and severity of each substance.
Antidote: the treatment or medical response used to counter the poison, when one exists, so you know what recovery involves.
Description: a short explanation that gives you context on how the poison works and why it matters.
Poisons
| Poison | Source | Effects | Antidote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyanide | Found in almonds, cassava, and industrial chemicals; also as potassium or sodium cyanide salts | Blocks cells from using oxygen, causing rapid collapse and death | Hydroxocobalamin or sodium thiosulfate |
| Carbon monoxide | Incomplete combustion of fuels in cars, stoves, and fires | Headache, confusion, unconsciousness, death by oxygen starvation | Oxygen therapy, including hyperbaric oxygen in severe cases |
| Chlorine gas | Industrial chemical; released by mixing bleach with ammonia | Burns lungs and eyes, breathing difficulty, fluid in the lungs | No specific antidote; supportive oxygen and airway care |
| Cadmium | Batteries, industrial pollution, contaminated food | Kidney damage, weakened bones, lung damage | No specific antidote; chelation therapy for chronic exposure |
| Chloroform | Historic surgical anesthetic; industrial solvent | Dizziness, liver and kidney damage, irregular heartbeat | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Curare | Extracted from South American vines such as Chondrodendron and Strychnos | Paralyzes muscles and stops breathing | Mechanical ventilation and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors |
| Colchicine | Extracted from the autumn crocus flower (Colchicum autumnale) | Severe vomiting and multi-organ failure in overdose | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Coniine | Poison hemlock plant (Conium maculatum) | Muscle paralysis and respiratory failure | No specific antidote; supportive ventilation |
| Cantharidin | Secreted by blister beetles, also known as Spanish fly | Severe blistering and internal organ damage | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Cocaine | Leaves of the coca plant | Rapid heartbeat, seizures, heart attack in overdose | No specific antidote; benzodiazepines for seizures |
| Cortinarius (deadly webcap) | Wild mushroom found in forests, scientific name Cortinarius rubellus | Delayed kidney failure appearing days after ingestion | No specific antidote; dialysis or transplant may be needed |
| Convallatoxin | Lily of the valley plant | Irregular heartbeat, nausea, cardiac arrest | Digoxin immune fab (antibody fragments) |
| Cerberin | Seeds of the “suicide tree,” Cerbera odollam | Disrupts heart rhythm and can cause cardiac arrest | Digoxin immune fab |
| Carbofuran | Agricultural insecticide | Nerve overstimulation, seizures, respiratory failure | Atropine |
| Carbon tetrachloride | Industrial solvent once used in dry cleaning | Liver and kidney damage, neurological symptoms | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Chlordane | Banned agricultural pesticide | Seizures, liver damage, long-term nerve effects | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Chlorpyrifos | Organophosphate pesticide | Nerve overstimulation, muscle twitching, respiratory failure | Atropine and pralidoxime |
| Cypermethrin | Synthetic pyrethroid insecticide | Tingling skin, tremors, seizures at high exposure | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Cesium-137 | Nuclear fallout and radioactive sources | Radiation sickness and increased cancer risk | Prussian blue, which removes cesium from the body |
| Chromium (hexavalent) | Industrial pollution, contaminated water | Lung cancer risk, organ damage | No specific antidote; ascorbic acid may reduce toxicity |
| Cyclosarin | Synthetic nerve agent developed as a chemical weapon | Rapid nerve overstimulation, convulsions, death | Atropine and pralidoxime |
| Crimidine | Rodenticide used to kill rats | Seizures from nerve excitation | Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) |
| Castor bean | Seeds of the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis | Severe vomiting and organ failure from the toxin ricin | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Cane toad toxin | Skin glands of the cane toad | Heart arrhythmia, vomiting, seizures in animals that bite it | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Cobra venom | Venom glands of cobra snakes | Paralysis and respiratory failure | Antivenom |
| Cottonmouth venom | Venom of the cottonmouth, or water moccasin, snake | Tissue destruction and bleeding disorders | Antivenom |
| Copperhead venom | Venom of the copperhead snake | Swelling, pain, and tissue damage | Antivenom |
| Cone snail venom | Delivered through the harpoon-like tooth of cone snails | Paralysis and respiratory failure | No specific antidote; supportive ventilation |
| Centipede venom | Injected by venom claws, called forcipules, of large centipedes | Severe pain and swelling, rarely a systemic reaction | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Caffeine (overdose) | Coffee, tea, energy drinks, and supplements | Rapid heartbeat, seizures, cardiac arrest in extreme overdose | No specific antidote; supportive care and beta-blockers |
| Camphor | Camphor tree extract found in some vapor rubs | Seizures, vomiting, confusion | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Cholera toxin | Produced by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae | Severe watery diarrhea and dehydration | Rehydration therapy |
| Cylindrospermopsin | Toxic cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, blooms | Liver and kidney damage | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Cicutoxin | Water hemlock plant, genus Cicuta | Violent seizures and irregular heartbeat | No specific antidote; benzodiazepines for seizures |
| Cyanogenic glycosides | Found in raw cassava, apple seeds, and apricot pits | Release cyanide during digestion, causing poisoning | Hydroxocobalamin or sodium thiosulfate |
| Chinaberry | Fruit and seeds of the chinaberry tree, Melia azedarach | Vomiting, paralysis, seizures | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Corn cockle | Seeds of the corn cockle plant, Agrostemma githago | Nausea and breathing difficulty | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Cyclamen | Roots and tubers of the cyclamen plant | Vomiting, diarrhea, seizures in large amounts | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Croton oil | Seeds of the croton plant | Severe vomiting, diarrhea, blistering | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Chloropicrin | Synthetic chemical used as a fumigant and former warfare agent | Severe eye and lung irritation, vomiting | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Cassava (raw) | Roots of the cassava plant, Manihot esculenta | Cyanide poisoning if not properly processed | Hydroxocobalamin or sodium thiosulfate |
| Chokecherry | Pits and wilted leaves of the chokecherry tree | Cyanide poisoning, mainly in livestock | Hydroxocobalamin |
| Cherry laurel | Leaves and seeds of the cherry laurel shrub | Cyanide poisoning | Hydroxocobalamin |
| Cocculus indicus | Seeds of the fishberry plant, Anamirta cocculus | Nerve poisoning and convulsions | No specific antidote; supportive care |
| Crotoxin | Venom of the South American rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus | Paralysis, muscle breakdown, respiratory failure | Antivenom |
| Caterpillar venom | Spines of venomous caterpillars such as the puss caterpillar | Intense pain and swelling, occasionally a broader reaction | No specific antidote; supportive care |
Descriptions
Cyanide
A fast-acting chemical that stops cells from using oxygen, leading to rapid unconsciousness and death if untreated.
Carbon monoxide
An odorless gas that binds to blood far more strongly than oxygen, silently suffocating the body from the inside.
Chlorine gas
A greenish gas once used in chemical warfare that severely damages the lungs and airways when inhaled.
Cadmium
A heavy metal that builds up in the body over time, gradually damaging the kidneys and bones.
Chloroform
A sweet-smelling liquid once used to sedate patients for surgery, now known to be toxic to the liver and heart.
Curare
A plant-derived poison traditionally used on hunting darts by South American tribes to paralyze prey.
Colchicine
A compound from the autumn crocus, used medically in tiny doses but deadly in overdose.
Coniine
The toxic alkaloid in poison hemlock, famously used to execute the philosopher Socrates.
Cantharidin
A caustic substance from blister beetles that causes painful blistering of skin and internal tissue.
Cocaine
A stimulant drug from the coca plant that can trigger fatal heart problems at high doses.
Cortinarius (deadly webcap)
An unassuming mushroom whose toxin destroys the kidneys days after it is eaten, often too late to reverse.
Convallatoxin
A heart-stopping toxin found in the pretty but dangerous lily of the valley flower.
Cerberin
A potent cardiac toxin from a Southeast Asian tree nicknamed the “suicide tree” for its use in fatal poisonings.
Carbofuran
One of the most toxic pesticides ever made, capable of killing with a tiny dose.
Carbon tetrachloride
A once-common cleaning solvent now banned in many countries for its severe toxicity to the liver.
Chlordane
A persistent pesticide banned in most countries after being linked to cancer and nerve damage.
Chlorpyrifos
A widely used but increasingly restricted pesticide that disrupts the nervous system.
Cypermethrin
A common insect-killing chemical that can cause nerve symptoms in humans at high exposure.
Cesium-137
A radioactive isotope that, if ingested, delivers dangerous radiation from within the body.
Chromium (hexavalent)
A toxic form of the metal chromium, made infamous by water contamination cases like Erin Brockovich’s.
Cyclosarin
A military-grade nerve agent engineered to shut down the nervous system within minutes.
Crimidine
A rat poison that overstimulates the nervous system, causing violent seizures in animals that eat it.
Castor bean
The seed that yields both castor oil and ricin, one of the deadliest natural toxins known.
Cane toad toxin
A defensive toxin secreted by cane toads that can kill pets and wildlife that try to eat them.
Cobra venom
A nerve-paralyzing venom injected by cobras that can stop breathing if left untreated.
Cottonmouth venom
A blood- and tissue-damaging venom from this North American pit viper.
Copperhead venom
A generally non-fatal but tissue-damaging venom from one of North America’s most commonly encountered pit vipers.
Cone snail venom
One of the most potent venoms in nature, delivered by a slow-moving ocean snail through a tiny harpoon.
Centipede venom
A painful venom injected by centipedes’ front claws, mostly causing intense local pain rather than death.
Caffeine (overdose)
A common stimulant that is only dangerous in very large, concentrated doses far beyond normal drinking.
Camphor
A pungent compound found in some traditional remedies that can cause seizures if swallowed in quantity.
Cholera toxin
A bacterial toxin that causes the body to lose massive amounts of fluid, the hallmark of cholera disease.
Cylindrospermopsin
A toxin produced by harmful algae blooms that can contaminate drinking water supplies.
Cicutoxin
The toxin in water hemlock, considered one of North America’s most poisonous native plants.
Cyanogenic glycosides
Natural compounds in certain seeds and roots that release cyanide when chewed or improperly prepared.
Chinaberry
An ornamental tree whose berries are toxic if eaten, particularly dangerous to children and pets.
Corn cockle
A once-common weed in grain fields whose seeds are toxic if they contaminate flour.
Cyclamen
A popular flowering houseplant with tubers that can cause serious stomach upset if eaten.
Croton oil
An intensely irritating oil once used as a purgative, now known to be dangerously toxic.
Chloropicrin
A choking agent once used in World War I chemical warfare, now used as an agricultural fumigant.
Cassava (raw)
A staple root vegetable that must be properly processed, since raw cassava contains cyanide-releasing compounds.
Chokecherry
A wild fruit tree whose seeds and wilted leaves release cyanide, dangerous mainly to grazing animals.
Cherry laurel
A common ornamental hedge plant whose crushed leaves and seeds give off a cyanide-like toxin.
Cocculus indicus
A historic fish poison and folk remedy ingredient containing picrotoxin, a potent convulsant.
Crotoxin
A potent nerve- and muscle-damaging toxin found in the venom of the South American rattlesnake.
Caterpillar venom
The venomous spines of certain caterpillars, like the puss caterpillar, cause pain far out of proportion to their size.