Talk:Karaka (tree)

Dangerously misleading
Argh! Ok, this is dangerously misleading: "If soaked in salt water, boiled or roasted, the seeds become edible." If someone tried just roasting them, they'd kill themselves. Or perhaps I exaggerate, they might just get muscle contractions bad enough to break their own bones, or tear their own muscles if they didn't get medical treatment fast enough. You really wouldn't need to eat much. If they're soaked, and boiled then roasted - yeah, they might be ok, but it's a very long process. Ummm. Reference, here: http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/7109/karaka.htm Or in... books. Lots of books. Or by googling karaka poisoning and getting lovely old historical accounts: http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_04/rsnz_04_00_002360.html

Just. I'd hate for someone to read the above line and think that they're only poisonous like acorns (ie, you soak them to get the bitter-tannin out, which is a magnitude less poisonous than karakin), and try boiling them up or something. o_O

- A. Nonymous, Wellington, New Zealand —Preceding unsigned comment added by 222.154.238.36 (talk) 08:21, 10 September 2007 (UTC)


 * You're right, it was dangerously misleading. Rewritten somewhat, and a link to a 19th century source with a vivid description of the symptoms of poisoning. Kahuroa 09:47, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

Unverified
The sentence "In modern-day New Zealand, no part of the plant or its fruit is eaten." is not correct. I can only offer anecdotal evidence to the contrary, but would suggest that this statement either needs to be verified or removed? Te Irirangi (talk) 06:30, 22 June 2010 (UTC)
 * Fair enough, done. Kahuroa (talk) 07:14, 22 June 2010 (UTC)

Karakin
The description as an alkaloid is correct only in the very broadest sense: karakin does contain nitrogen atoms, but in nitro rather than amine form. It's some number of molecules of 3-nitropropanoic acid, the actual toxin, with an ester linkage to a glucose molecule. This might be more useful information in a page on karakin, admittedly.

The most complete information I have is from an MSc thesis but there are other published sources with fewer details. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tslumley (talk • contribs) 04:47, 6 March 2021 (UTC)