Ricin

Ricin is from the castor oil plant and is a highly toxic, naturally occurring protein. It is so toxic that a dose as small as a few grains of salt could be fatal to an adult.

The tertiary structure of ricin was shown to be a globular, glycosylated heterodimer of approximately 60-65 amu. Ricin toxin A chain and ricin toxin B chain are of similar molecular weight, approximately 32 amu and 34 amu respectively.  Castor Oil Plant, fruits

Ricin: How it Works: Treatment: An example of where one can find ricin in would be castor beans, however ricin is a toxic substance.
 * Ricin is a poison found naturally in castor beans. If castor beans are chewed and swallowed, the released ricin can cause injury. Ricin can be made from the waste material left over from processing castor beans.
 * It can be in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet, or it can be dissolved in water or weak acid.
 * It is a stable substance under normal conditions, but can be inactivated by heat above 80 degrees Centigrade.
 * Ricin works by getting inside the cells of a person’s body and preventing the cells from making the proteins they need. Without the proteins, cells die. Eventually this is harmful to the whole body and death may occur.
 * Effects of ricin poisoning depend on whether ricin was inhaled, ingested, or injected.
 * Because no antidote exists for ricin, the most important factor is avoiding ricin exposure in the first place.
 * If exposure cannot be avoided, the most important factor is then getting the ricin off or out of the body as quickly as possible.

Can have some health benefits as well. Some researchers speculate that it can help with cancer. In a lab study performed on mice, small doses were shown to have memory-improving effects.