Arrow poisons are used to poison arrow heads or darts for the purposes of hunting and warfare. They have been used by indigenous peoples worldwide and are still in use in areas of South America, Africa and Asia. Notable examples are the poisons secreted from the skin of the
poison dart frog, and
curare (or 'ampi'), a general term for a range of plant-derived arrow poisons used by the
indigenous peoples of South America.[1]
History
Poisoned arrows have featured in
mythology, notably the
Greek story of
Heracles slaying the
centaurNessus using arrows poisoned with the blood of the
Lernaean Hydra. The Greek hero
Odysseus poisons his arrows with
hellebore in
Homer's Odyssey. Poisoned arrows also figure in Homer's epic about the
Trojan War, the Iliad, in which both
Achaeans and
Trojans used toxic arrows and spears.[2] Poisoned arrows are referred to in the
Book of Job in the
Bible, descriptive of the sufferings experienced by the just man,
Job.[3]
The modern terms "toxic" and "toxin" derive from the ancient Greek word for "bow", toxon, from Old Persian *taxa-, "an arrow".[4][5][6]
Poisoned arrows were used by real people in the ancient world, including the
Gauls,
ancient Romans, and the
nomadicScythians and
Soanes. Ancient Greek and Roman historians describe recipes for poisoning projectiles and historical battles in which poison arrows were used.
Alexander the Great encountered poisoned projectiles during his
conquest of India (probably dipped in the
venom of
Russell's viper) and the army of the Roman general
Lucullus suffered grievous poison wounds from arrows shot by nomads during the
Third Mithridatic War (1st century BC).[2]
In the
Kingdom of Kush, arrows were often poison-tipped. There is some indication that poisoned arrows were used in battle against the Romans from 27 BC to 22 BC.[7]
Gregory of Tours claimed that during the reign of
Emperor Maximus a Roman army was ambushed and destroyed by the
Franks in Germany who used arrows poisoned in herb juices.[8]
The use of poisoned arrows in hunting and warfare by some
Native Americans has also been documented.[9]
Over the ages,
Chinese warfare has included projectiles poisoned with various toxic substances.[10]
In South America, tribes such as the Noanamá Chocó and Emberá Chocó of western
Colombia dip the tips of their blowgun darts in the poison found on the skin of three species of Phyllobates, a genus of
poison dart frog. In northern
Chocó Department, Phyllobates aurotaenia is used, while P. bicolor is used in
Risaralda Department and southern Chocó. In
Cauca Department, only P. terribilis is used for dart making. The poison is generally collected by roasting the frogs over a fire, but the
steroids in P. terribilis are powerful enough that it is sufficient to rub the dart on the back of the frog without killing it.
In the northern
Kalahari Desert, the most commonly used arrow poison is derived from the
larva and
pupae of
beetles of the
genusDiamphidia. It is applied to the arrow either by crushing the larva directly onto the arrow head and mixing it with plant sap to act as an binder, or by mixing a powder made from the dried larva with plant juices and applying that to the arrow tip. The toxin is slow attacking and large animals, including humans, can survive 4–5 days before succumbing to the effects.[25]
There is evidence of Pacific Island cultures using poison arrow and spear tips. An account from Hector Holthouse's book "Cannibal Cargoes"[26] (on the subject of the Australian Pacific Island Labour Trade) describes a canoe, resting on forks in the sand; within the canoe the body of a man rotting in the sun. The unsealed canoe allowing the putrefaction to collect in a notched shallow bowl in which arrow heads and spear tips are soaked. Wounds with these weapons caused
tetanus infection.
Preparation
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The following 17th-century account describes how arrow poisons were prepared in China:
In making poison arrows for shooting wild beasts, the tubers of wild
aconitum are boiled in water. The resulting liquid, being highly viscous and poisonous, is smeared on the sharp edges of arrowheads. These treated arrowheads are effective in the quick killing of both human beings and animals, even though the victim may shed only a trace of blood.[22]
^
ab"Curare".
Archived from the original on 10 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-09.
^
abMayor, Adrienne (2009). Greek Fire, Poison Arrows and Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World (Revised ed.).
The Overlook Press.
ISBN978-1-59020-177-0.
^Quattrocchi, Umberto (2012). CRC World dictionary of medicinal and poisonous plants: common names, scientific names, eponyms, synonyms and etymology. Vol. IV, M-Q. CRC Press Taylor and Francis Group. page 2564.
^Marinas, Amante P. Sr. (17 April 2012). Blowgun Techniques: The Definitive Guide to Modern and Traditional Blowgun Techniques. Tuttle Publishing.
ISBN9781462905546.
^Chavannes, Édouard. “Trois Généraux Chinois de la dynastie des Han Orientaux. Pan Tch’ao (32-102 p.C.); – son fils Pan Yong; – Leang K’in (112 p.C.). Chapitre LXXVII du Heou Han chou.”. 1906. T’oung pao 7, pp. 226-227.