Wolfsbane Poisoning

Death usually occurs because of ventricular arrhythmia or the heart ceasing to function.

Causes

Wolfsbane - wolfsbane is a common plant throughout the world is widely considered to have magical affects on werewolves even by those who are unaware of their true existence. The fact of the matter is the plant does not have any real magical properties and most alkaloid anticholinergic poisons would work just as well in killing a werewolf because they are fast-acting and cause significant disruption of the cardiovascular and neurological systems. Werewolves are not specifically more prone to wolfsbane's effects, but rather they are just as susceptible as humans.

Symptoms

Gastrointestinal - nausea, vomiting, stomach pain Neurological - tingling - especially of mouth and lips, muscle weakness, lack of coordination Cardiovascular - chest pain, bradycardia, arrhythmia, asystole - heart stopping

Treatment

Treatments typically involve purging the body of any of the ingested poison - stomach pumping or induced vomiting, close monitoring of blood pressure, heart rate, and cardiac rhythm.

Prognosis

The biggest reason why aconite (chemical name) poisoning is so deadly in the werewolf population is the cultural distrust of modern medicine and hospitals, which they eschew in favor of home remedies in order to keep their rapid healing a secret. Only recently in werewolf history have treatments for aconite poisoning been administered, chiefly because modern wolves study medicine in order to confront the problem.
Humans who seek treatment in hospitals have a 5.5% mortality rate.
Due to their rapid healing, werewolves do not often die due to accidental ingestion of the plant, but in suitable quantities, it is too fast acting to be treated. There is not accurate reporting, but historically very few werewolves survived.

Cultural Reception

Most poisonings of werewolves occur between werewolves or other members of the supernatural community. It is still a cultural symbol of death, however.

Type

Chemical Compound

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Rare

Affected Species

• Werewolf