Greetings guys, gals, and non-binary pals! CW for this episode for the pandemic and GOP shenanagans.
What is Oleander?
To quote The Spruce: “Oleander (Nerium oleander) is a fast-growing evergreen shrub that's hardy and fairly low-maintenance. In fact, because of its hardiness, the plant is considered invasive in certain parts of the [American] Southwest and around the Gulf Coast. It produces fragrant, showy clusters of flowers from around May to October, coming in several color varieties.”
It grows at a rate of about 1 to 2 feet per year, usually capping at between 4 and 8 feet, though some cultivars can reach 20 feet tall, and it is known that all parts of the oleander are toxic when consumed and can cause skin irritation if direct contact with skin is made, even when dried or burned. Especially when burned, as like in the case of poison oak and poison ivy, the oils and general compounds are volatile and can cause some adverse reactions if encountered, which we will touch on a bit later.
Overall, Oleander is a largely hardy plant. It can survive with relatively little damage to leaves at -20*F and is rather fire-resistant, though when burned, there can be issues for those present without protective gear. Also, because it is relatively fire-resistant it is sometimes planted as a protective measure.
Why is it so notorious?
Reports of entire groups of children, families, or regiments dieing or otherwise suffering horribly after consuming foodstuffs roasted on oleander branches. Most are likely familiar with the story of a troupe of scouts or a family who, while camping fashioned skewers from de-barked oleander branches. While caution is needed, according to research and analysis, it is highly likely that these reports were more a case of urban legend and cautionary tales rolled into one. Building off that, stories seem to have circulated in the 1950s and 60s in the United States, and the 1970s in Australia.
So, where do they come from? There are reports from the 1800s that seem to hold the origins of these accounts, though should also be approached with caution as it is unknown how reliable the accounts are, though they appear to be the origin of the stories. According to John Lindley’s 1853 entry in The Vegetable Kingdom, referencing a previous work from 1844:
“In 1809, when the French troops were lying before Madrid, some of the soldiers went a marauding, every one bringing back such provisions as could be found. One soldier formed the unfortunate idea of cutting the branches of the Oleander for spits and skewers for the meat when roasting. This tree, it may be observed, is very common in Spain, where it attains considerable dimensions. The wood having been stripped of its bark, and brought in contact with the meat, was productive of most direful consequences, for of twelve soldiers who ate of the roast seven died, and the other five were dangerously ill.”
Later, George Nicholson wrote in the Nerium entry of The Illustrated Dictionary of Gardening:
“The leaves are fatal to animals (horses, &c): the flowers have caused death to those who carelessly picked and ate them, and it is on record that the branches, divested of their bark, and used as skewers, have poisoned the meat roasted on them, and killed seven of twelve people who partook of it.” And thus we see the beginnings of that narrative. All in all, it seems that the stories we know today are at the very least conglomerates of past accounts, if not a bit (or a lot) embellished. Everyone loves a good story.
It is known that the plant itself is toxic. However, as noted in a Snopes article entitled “Oleander Poisoning”, while “Oleander [leaves and branches are] deemed extremely dangerous, with the poison known to affect the heart, produce severe digestive upset, and to have caused death. The size and relative health of the person ingesting the plant have a great deal to do with the severity of the poisoning. Their relatively small body size places children especially at risk, making oleander a plant one may not want in one’s garden if children are part of the household or live nearby.” That applies to animals as well, but we’ll touch on that a bit later.
We like science here. We appreciate experiments and experimental archaeology and ethnobotany. As such, I was quite happy to find that there was a 2005 toxicological study done to see how much of the plant’s toxic compounds actually transferred to hot dogs set to be roasted on them:
“Hebrew National hot dogs were used and the team skewered them onto both fresh and dried branches.”
“The hot dogs were then frozen until analysis of oleandrin content by liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy,” because the oleandrin is the toxic element that is being tested for. We’ll get to that more in a bit. By freezing the samples, they were better able to preserve the samples.
“Result: Hot dogs cooked on dried branches contained 14.3±8.8 ppb oleandrin, while hot dogs cooked on freshly-cut branches contained 7.0±2.1 ppb oleandrin (control: oleandrin).” So the oleandrin concentration is, interestingly, actually higher in the dried branches.
“The most contaminated hot dog contained oleandrin; even allowing for other unmeasured cardiac glycosides, this oleandrin content is orders of magnitude lower than that expected to cause human toxicity if the hot dogs were consumed. In addition, several mechanical difficulties with both the freshly-cut and dried oleander branches make their practical use as skewers to cook food unlikely.”
Translation: while there would be some impact on the human consuming these hot dogs, likely a stomach ache of some variety, this alone would be highly unlikely to cause death. Unless the person has underlying health concerns. Also, in the process of conducting the experiment, the branches were difficult enough to acquire, prepare, and use for the intended purpose that the situation is unlikely to have readily arisen in the first place, or at least with the purported frequency.
“Conclusion: Hot dogs cooked on Nerium oleander branch skewers contain a negligible amount of oleandrin. Poisoning by consuming hot dogs or other food items cooked on oleander branches is probably an urban myth.”
So, What is Oleandrin?
In short, it is a toxic cardiac glycoside in Oleander (Nerium oleander L.). It’s associated with toxicity of oleander sap. Oleandrin impacts the body similarly to digoxin, which is derived from the leaves of the digitalis or foxglove plant (which we’ll get into in a later episode) and can cause nausea, drowsiness, and confusion. However, unlike digitoxin, there is no evidence to its efficacy but has been used in traditional medicine as a (therapeutic) treatment for cardiac insufficiency. Oleandrin is often lethal, though concentration is variable and causes both gastrointestinal and cardiac effects. It’s lethality has been observed in multiple species.
Evidence
There is no evidence that Oleandrin works as a medical treatment, least of all for Covid-19. Spreading the patently false narrative that it is a safe and viable option is highly negligent. Companies and individuals promoting it as a cure are quite literally gambling with people’s lives by spreading this misinformation. While I am glad the FDA refused to authorize production, the idea that it was put forward is alarming.
Botany Breakdown
The compounds contained in the plant’s makeup are highly toxic to almost all animals. Most avoid the plant’s green leaves due to their bitterness, but the toxins remain even when they are dried or composted. Make sure any animals you have stay well away from these leaves as goats and others with similar eating habits could be easily poisoned.
According to the San Francisco Gate: “Be careful if you ever need to burn oleander; its smoke is also toxic and can cause intoxication. When the plant is cut and burned, it releases poisons that can affect any living creature breathing the fumes. Instead of burning cut branches and trunks, remove them carefully after donning protective clothing and gloves. Place debris in plastic garbage bags and dispose of it properly. For safety's sake, do not add it to your compost pile.”
Now that we’ve talked about Oleandrin and what it is, what is it used for?
Articles have been put out by both Phoenix Biotechnology and Avila Herbals attempting to cite that with homeopathic techniques, the highly toxic nature inherent to oleander is successfully diluted to a point that it is no longer toxic and instead beneficial. I have a lot of issues with the homeopathic community’s insistence that “natural” is safe and this seems to fall into the same category.
Phoenix Biotech put out an article in March of 2021 citing that they had developed an oleander extract that was ‘safe and effective.’ They have also claimed the company has been conducting oleander-related research for 20 years.
In order to have any reliable amount of the oleandrin levels being used, it reaches potentially unsafe levels. If it works for you, for a heart condition or to treat another serious medical condition that has been agreed upon between you and your medical practitioner, great. However, just because it’s worked in some instances does not mean it’s safe. Furthermore, even if it is safe (in a contained clinical environment) the company’s not selling oleander extract to healthcare practitioners to give to their patients. They’re selling directly to the general public. Who are scared. And trying to figure out anything possible that they and their families can do to be safer. Of note, an extract is a concentrated format that at best does essentially nothing with respect to Covid-19 and at worse likely makes the whole situation worse.
Also, just a side-note, they keep saying how many people are buying their special ‘new botanical drug, PBI-05204,’ which the entire website is dedicated to, but it is a science page that is trying to sell you product but the site itself is ‘not secure’ if you google it. Just thought that was interesting.
Also, the company was started by and currently has as its chairman and CEO, someone who’s only qualifications, if they can be called that, is someone who is “an entrepreneur and a poker player.” No disrespect to entrepreneurs and poker players, some of you are great. However, “Mr. Crandell Addington serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Phoenix Biotechnology Inc. Mr. Addington serves as the President of Anviram Inc. He has over the course of 40 years experience, founded and/or operated successful enterprises ranging from chemical manufacturing to oil and gas exploration, development and production.” So not medical things. No shade if you want to branch out but that’s not what this looks like and the whole operation seems rather shady.
Now, Avila Herbals is the other company involved. They seem to mostly focus on cannabis and specifically hemp and CBD products, which is cool --incidentally, the hemp business launched in 2019. If that was it, we’d only be visiting them in a future episode talking about cannabis. However. There is also an entire section of the site dedicated to the promotion and sale of Oleander-4X, which is their Oleander extract.
According to the documentation they provide, it purportedly provides “temporary relief of flu symptoms, such as muscle or body aches, headache, chills and fever, cough, and congestion.” Unlike Phoenix, the site appears to be secure, is clean and organized. There are appealing graphics and it looks like the potential purchasing process would be rather straight-forward. Interestingly, the oleander site is completely separate from the rest of Avila. That’s not a red flag right out of the gate--my site has title links to other pages too--but unless you’re paying attention to the URL, the two sites have been designed to be virtually indistinguishable. The site is easily navigable, but it navigates you to a sales and about page that claims:
“Oleander-4X is an all-natural homeopathic drug, which is a unique botanical extract from the leaves of the oleander plant (Nerium oleander).”
And yes, Oleander-4X means it’s 4x concentrated
“Extracts of Nerium oleander have been studied for decades.”
“Oleander 4X provides temporary relief of symptoms associated with flu, such as muscle or body aches, headaches, chills and fever, cough, congestion.”
“Oleander-4X is a whole leaf extract, which has been shown to be safe (the leaves are one of the more volatile parts, actually). Oleander-4X is 100% vegan (doesn’t mean anything), and does not contain high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives, artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners.”(also doesn’t mean anything)
“Extracts of Nerium oleander have been used safely, with minimal side effects in thousands of people in the United States.”
There are no statistics given, nor demographic information. If things are so above-board? Also, could have easily been that group of people mentioned a bit earlier who have had some success with oleander-based therapy for heart conditions and the like.
“Oleander-4X is an all-natural homeopathic drug that can easily be taken sublingually (under the tongue)” (tbh most ‘homeopathic’ remedies are sublingual, not surprising they trotted out this)
So. This site. Easily navigable, billed as we’ve just discussed. So, in summary, easily navigable site with potentially rather harmful information, providing a direct link between people who are scared and trying to do things to protect themselves and these products. Which, incidentally, Avila seems to call it a tincture and an extract interchangeably.
“Extracts, also called fluid extracts or liquid extracts, are herbal formulations that are similar in form to tinctures but differ primarily in concentration. Usually, liquid extracts are more concentrated than tinctures.” So, one of these bottles is 1fl oz and is priced at $89.99 usually but is on sale for $49.99. This is also the only product available on the ‘my oleander’ side
In order to get back to avila, you have to re-enter the web address. They don’t have hemp products on the oleander side, but they have oleander extract under the ‘homeopathy’ side of the avila side. And at time of recording, while the oleander side of the site is on sale for $50 instead of $90, on the avila side, it’s full price for the same thing. That could just be because they’ve not connected it properly for some reason or something else all together. For all the issues I have with the site, it does state repeatedly that people should consult their doctors before taking it, which is good. And then proceed to suggest it might be ok for this to be used on children under 12 with doctor consultation.
So, we’ve gone through the two major production players. Now let’s get into the politics.
In addition to dealing with a global pandemic last year, we also had a good many social and political issues come to a head. So. In what might seem like a tangential right turn, let’s talk about Ben Carson and Mike Lindell for a bit, here.
Ben Carson and Mike Lindell’s involvement with Olenadrin and Covid-19?
Mike Lindell (My Pillow) and Ben Carson (Trump’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development) both romoted Oleandrin as a potential treatment for Covid-19 in July 2020. Which was just 3 months after Trump suggested injecting bleach as a ‘disinfection’ treatment. While they tried getting FDA approval on August 14 2020, the FDA rejected the application of Olendrin as a ‘dietary supplement’ by Pheonix Biotechnology Inc, which was the company manufacturing the product.
To quote a Palm Beach Post article from November 24, 2020:
“Manufacturers of a controversial oleander extract — touted by U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson for treating his own COVID-19 symptoms — said sales have skyrocketed thanks to Carson and others who recognize the benefits of the homeopathic remedy.
“Health experts, however, warn about the use of unproven methods to address the deadly virus at the center of an almost yearlong global pandemic.
“We just launched this product at the end of October, and sales are up over 65,000%,” said Richard Obiso, a doctor of biochemistry who two years ago co-founded the Virginia-based manufacturing company Avila Herbals with his wife, Theresa Obiso, a doctor of microbiology.
“Obiso, whose company is private and does not release financial statements, said he was joking about the 65,000%. But still, he said, response to the product has been phenomenal.
“While Obiso's staff of 35 keeps busy handling the influx of orders, some experts are crying foul, saying that oleander extract has been proven neither safe nor effective for any medicinal use, let alone to cure or treat COVID-19.”
Indeed, according to the Palm Beach article, “Carson, who said he became 'desperately ill' from COVID, admitted that the treatment he received similar to what Trump got saved his life, not the oleander extract.” Which is not only false information, but potentially deadly, especially considering the demographic that would tend to actually listen to him.
Mike Lindell, who has been connected to multiple shady business dealings over the years, was trying to get Trump and essentially anyone else who would listen to take and authorize oleandrin as a Covid cure last year. Particularly when Melania tested positive. In fact, “Lindell, a Trump backer who owns a stake in a company promoting oleandrin as a coronavirus cure, was seconding a tweet from conservative author David J. Harris Jr. urging Trump to try it.” So not only was he trying to promote it, but he has a financial stake in the company. I’ll not be going into the financial issues connected to Lindell, but will leave links in the description to video essays by a creator called iiluminaughtii who has done a full deep-dive on the subject. Suffice to say there were several bankruptcies, shady dealings, and general suspect business practices.
In an article from The Guardian published on August 25, 2020, “While Lindell has pitched Phoenix’s plant extract as a coronavirus cure on TV and to the president’s coronavirus taskforce, the company also quietly received $5m in funding from an undisclosed investor, patented its extract for use in Covid-19, and promoted an early study in monkey cells as proof of efficacy – an assertion one of the study’s own authors denies.”
Now, the article itself is several months old, but the information still appears to be accurate:
Said of the process for getting a drug to market, the article states: “Pharmaceutical companies looking for FDA approval typically take drugs through a long pipeline of testing including in pre-clinical trials, in non-human primates, and then in a series of clinical trials testing for safety and dosing, leading up to a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial for efficacy.
If Phoenix sought approval for its product, the pre-print (the non peer-reviewed article) it published would represent a concept for potential study at the very beginning of this pipeline. The median cost of bringing a drug to market is $985m, according to a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Most new drugs fail.
Phoenix has conducted two clinical trials for safety of oleandrin in cancer treatment, but both were small. Phoenix proposed providing oleandrin in what appears to be a liquid, according to its website.”
Though the company claims to have been conducting research for 25 years, the earliest records seem to be from 2002, and the company was incorporated in 2003. Phoenix then got its extraction process patented in 2005.
Before we end, I want to read an excerpt from the esteemed medical ethnobotanist Dr. Cassandra Quave’s article on the subject from August 18, 2020 (it was cross-posted in both her own blog The Conversation and PBS NewsHour):
“Oleandrin is the chemical that causes the plant’s lethal toxicity. It is known by scientists as a cardiac glycoside, a class of organic compounds with a common feature: They exhibit powerful effects on heart tissue, often with deadly consequences.
“A pre-print article – that is, an article not peer-reviewed by other scientists – is now online. It reports how, in a test tube, oleandrin reduces production of the virus responsible for COVID-19. But this does not take into account the well-known cardiac toxicity of the chemical when consumed by an animal or human.
“Particularly worrisome is the idea that consumers may misinterpret any publicity surrounding oleander and try to self-medicate with this highly poisonous plant. I’m also concerned the dietary supplements industry may try to take advantage of the public’s fear of COVID-19 by developing supplements containing oleandrin.
“There are many other examples of natural plant extracts that are harmful. But oleander is particularly dangerous, because ingesting any part of the plant can lead to serious illness and possibly death. What’s more, there is no published scientific evidence on the safety of consuming oleandrin or its plant source, Nerium oleander. It is critical that the Food and Drug Administration and its commissioner, Dr. Stephen Hahn, make certain the public is protected from this poison.”
Conclusions
In several ways, things are better now than they were last year when the pandemic began, at least in some areas. There are vaccines, though not everyone has access to them. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. We still have a long way to go before herd immunity is achieved and much of the way we interact, both in person and in digital spaces will likely retain changes long into the future.
Meanwhile, there are still people touting “cures” like oleandrin that at best do nothing and at worst can cause serious harm. There are entire communities who are fully capable of participating in personal safety measures and who are abjectly refusing to wear masks in public spaces and get the vaccines. Sometimes any vaccines.
In a recent report from NPR, about 1 in 4 Americans are planning to refuse the Covid vaccine. According to scientific analysis, we need 70-80% for herd immunity and even some who have gotten their first shot are refusing the second. About 25% of the population are children, who are still unable to be vaccinated, meaning it’s very much an all-hands-on-deck situation. Everyone who is able, needs to be vaccinated.
There are many who are looking at what has recently happened in India as further impetus for why we must get as many people vaccinated as possible. There have been hundreds of thousands of new cases each day after large gatherings because there weren’t enough vaccines for people. Nothing against India. The government downplayed the impact of the pandemic and most of the vaccines that were largely produced in India were sent elsewhere.
And here, in the US, there are plenty and yet a shortage of people who want to get them.
So, wear a mask. Get the vaccines. And use some common sense and decency when interacting with your fellow humans.
-Ryn
References and Links:
Jimmy Snow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPSXzLRHiCU
iiluminaughtii: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOzXPSv-PjU
Professor Cassandra Quave, Emory University https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/oleandrin-is-a-deadly-plant-poison-not-a-covid-19-cure
(orignal article link) https://theconversation.com/oleandrin-is-a-deadly-plant-poison-not-a-covid-19-cure-144658
https://twitter.com/QuaveEthnobot/status/1331024399659638785
Lindley, John. The Vegetable Kingdom. London; Bradbury & Evans, 1853 (p. 600).
Nicholson, George. The Illustrated Dictionary of Gardening. London; L. Upcott Gill, 1886 (p. 447).
Oleander as poison roasting sticks Oleander Poisoning.
Oleandrin is a deadly plant poison, not a COVID-19 cure | PBS NewsHour
Oleander: Plant Care & Growing Guide (thespruce.com)
Oleander Uses, Benefits & Dosage - Drugs.com Herbal Database
Oleander | Better Homes & Gardens (bhg.com)
MyPillow Guy Mike Lindell Shouts Out Unproven COVID-19 'Cure' To Trump | HuffPost
Oleander: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Dosage, and Warning (webmd.com)
Oleander: Plant Care & Growing Guide (thespruce.com)
Oleander Uses, Benefits & Dosage - Drugs.com Herbal Database
Ben Carson touts benefits of oleander extract after COVID-19 recovery (palmbeachpost.com)
Does Burning Oleander Produce Poisonous Smoke? (sfgate.com)
Oleandrin is a deadly plant poison, not a COVID-19 cure (theconversation.com)
Oleander Poisoning (snopes.com)
The Quave Research Group – Medical ethnobotany and drug discovery (etnobotanica.us)
[Full text] Antiviral Effects of Oleandrin | JEP (dovepress.com)