Jamie Heggemeier

Review of Royal Oak Enterprises, LLC

We just bought a bag and poured it into the grill ...

We just bought a bag and poured it into the grill and noticed that something other than briquettes fell out... They were castor bean pods! Incredibly upset and angry that this has happened. My children could've been poisoned! Calling asap tomorrow to let them know what happened. I hope no one else has this happen to them!

Toxic to the Touch Castor Bean Plant

"Touching the plant with your bare unprotected skin can be dangerous. Getting the bitter-tasting sap into your eyes or mouth from secondary contact can be downright deadly. Even mowed-down and desiccated castor plants are toxic and should not be handled without gloves. Some cities and states are trying to ban the ornamental use of castor bean plants in their regions. If the plant oils and resins are this toxic, even the slash & burning of the plants would make the smoke from their incineration a toxic irritant if you should happen to get it onto yourself. Accidentally walking through the smoke would cause the smoky resins and toxic oils to get into your eyes, mouth and lungs with unfortunate and painful results.

If all the symptoms of accidental poisoning as described are not enough, the castor plant also produces the protein ricin, a highly toxic ingredient that can be used as both a chemical and biological weapon. Another toxin that is produced from castor bean plants is RCA (Ricinus communis agglutinin,) a potent blood coagulant."