A vine originally native to India, abrus precatorius can now be found in most subtropical areas of the world including Florida, the Caribbean and throughout the majority of the southern United States. The active toxin Abrin is 75 times more toxic than Ricin on the body while having the exact same symptoms and effect. Although Abrus precatorius seeds contain one of the most lethal toxins known to man, the hard outer shell generally protects the toxin from digestion preventing a lethal dose from being absorbed by the body, and digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract destroy the toxin. In most cases of ingestion of whole seeds only mild symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting will occur. The toxin Abrin, a protein, is poorly absorbed in the digestive tract and rarely, if ever, causes systemic toxicity via the oral ingestion of whole seeds. Conversely, if older seeds with brittle shells are ingested or the seeds are chewed or ground prior to ingestion more serious health issues including death can result. The toxin’s structure is similar to insulin, ricin, botulinum, cholera and the diphtheria toxins. The toxin works by binding to cells in the body preventing protein synthesis which leads to cell death.