Himalayan mayapple

Toxicity has been reported after topical and internal administration of products (podophyllin and podophyl-lotoxin) derived from Himalayan mayapple and included nausea, vomiting, peripheral neuropathy, difficulty breathing, lethargy, and coma. Some cases of toxicity have been fatal (Cassidy et al. 1982 McFarland and McFarland 1981). 

Case reports and animal studies have indicated that compounds from Himalayan mayapple have abortifacient activity (Chamberlain et al. 1972 Didcock et al. 1952 Longstaff and von Krogh 2001). A safety assessment of the compounds podophyllotoxin and podophyllin indicated that the topical use of these compounds during pregnancy is strongly contraindicated (Longstaff and von Krogh 2001). 

An animal study with aqueous extract of Himalayan mayapple indicated no adverse effects during pregnancy (Sajikumar and Goel 2003). 

No information on the safety of Himalayan mayapple in lactation was identified. While this review did not... 

Intravenous administration of 200 mg (per 200-250 g animal) of an aqueous extract of Himalayan mayapple to rats on day 16 of pregnancy demonstrated a protective effect against neuronal damage in offspring induced by exposure to radiation on day 17 of pregnancy (Sajikumar and Goel 2003). 

The LD50 of a fractionated extract (with podophyllin and podophyllotoxin removed) of Himalayan mayapple in mice is 250 mg/kg after oral administration and 90 mg/kg after intraperitoneal administration (Gupta et al. 2008a, 2008b Lata et al. 2009). 

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