{{short description|Species of plant}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}} {{Expand Chinese|topic=sci}} {{Speciesbox |image = Gelsemium elegans 172132805.jpg |genus = Gelsemium |species = elegans |authority = (Gardner & Chapm.) Benth. }}
'''''Gelsemium elegans''''', commonly known as '''heartbreak grass''', is a poisonous plant of the family Gelsemiaceae found in China and other Asian countries. It contains toxic alkaloids such as gelsemine, gelsenicine, gelsevirine, koumine and 14-Hydroxygelsenicine.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Medicinal plants of the genus Gelsemium (Gelsemiaceae, Gentianales)—A review of their phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and traditional use |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |volume=152 |issue=1 |pages=33–52 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2014.01.003 |pmid=24434844 |year=2014 |last1=Jin |first1=G. L |last2=Su |first2=Y. P |last3=Liu |first3=M |last4=Xu |first4=Y |last5=Yang |first5=J |last6=Liao |first6=K. J |last7=Yu |first7=C. X}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Pharmacological effect and toxicity of alkaloids from Gelsemium elegans Benth |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |volume=89 |issue=1 |pages=91–95 |doi=10.1016/s0378-8741(03)00267-8 |pmid=14522437 |year=2003 |last1=Rujjanawate |first1=C |last2=Kanjanapothi |first2=D |last3=Panthong |first3=A}}</ref><ref name="Fatal poisoning by accidental ingestion of the">{{cite journal | vauthors = Qu D, Qiao DF, Chen XC, Feng CQ, Luo QZ, Tan XH | title = Fatal poisoning by accidental ingestion of the "heartbreak grass" (Gelsemium elegans) verified by toxicological and medico-legal analyses | journal = Forensic Science International | volume = 321 | article-number = 110745 | date = April 2021 | pmid = 33676237 | doi = 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110745 | publisher = Elsevier | s2cid = 232136096 }}</ref>
Crumbled leaves of this plant, surreptitiously added to food, were used in the 23rd of December 2011 poisoning of Long Liyuan, a magnate of the Chinese timber industry, and perhaps in the 10th of November 2012 poisoning of Alexander Perepilichny, a Russian financier cooperating with a fraud investigation in London,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/t-magazine/food-taster-poison.html |title=What if the Powerful (and Paranoid) Started Using Official Tasters Again? |publisher=New York Times Style Magazine |author=Ligaya Mishan |date=2018-10-31}}</ref> though the role of the plant in his death has been disputed.<ref>{{cite news |date=19 May 2015 |title=Alexander Perepilichny: Rare Chinese poison found in stomach of Russian whistleblower |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-20/poison-chemical-found-on-russian-who-died-in-uk3a-report/6483118 |agency=Agence France-Presse |work=ABC Online |access-date=9 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-perepilichny-idUKKBN16K26E |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313180533/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-perepilichny-idUKKBN16K26E |archive-date=13 March 2017 |title=Was Russian whistleblower murdered in UK with poisoned soup? |first=Michael |last=Holden |date=13 March 2017 |agency=reuters.com |access-date=9 March 2018}}</ref> This plant is also reputed to be the cause of death for Shennong, the first Yan emperor, who is said to have consumed many plants as part of his study of medicinal herbs.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gibson |first=David J. |title=Planting clues: how plants solve crimes |date=2022 |publisher=OUP |isbn=978-0-19-886860-6 |location=Newyork}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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Category:Gelsemiaceae {{Gentianales-stub}}