Acute toxicity after accidental ingestion of Hajar Jahannam, an Arabian folkloric aphrodisiac

Abstract EN

Haar Jahannam (hell stone) or Hagar El-Saada (happiness stone) is one of the street remedies that is used as an aphrodisiac without any supervision.

It is a plant resin locally applied upon the penis after being dissolved in water.

The present study elucidates clinical presentation of four cases admitted to the Poisoning Control Center (PCC), Ain Shams University Hospitals, after oral ingestion of Hajar Jahannam.

Vomiting and abdominal pain were the most common symptoms, while bradycardia, hypotension and shock were the most serious ones.

Supportive management (atropine and intravenous fluid for bradycardia and hypotension, as well as H2 blockers and antiemetics for gastric irritation) was followed to these cases who recovered without any apparent sequelae.

Chemical analysis of a sample of Hajar Jahannam by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) identified several organic compounds: hydrocarbons, esters, methylphenols, bacchotricuneatin c, diethyl phthalate, pyridine-3-carboxamide, benzene, neohexene, 4-ethoxyphenyl isothiocyanate, 2,4-dimethylbenzo[h]quinoline, 6,7-Dihydro-3-hydroxy-1,8(2H,5H)-isoquinolinedione, 1-methyl-2-phenylindole, pentafluoropropionic acid, (Z)-9-octadecenamide, butylated hydroxytoluene, squalene, dibutyl-cyanamime and 2-acetylcyclopentanone.

Some compounds were reported to have an irritant effect like methylphenols, nonane, tridecane, tetradecane, pentadecane, hexadecane, eicosane, pentafluoropropionic acid, (Z)-9-octadecenamide and butylated hydroxytoluene, dodecane, 1,4-di-tert-butylbenzene, neohexene, 1-methyl-2-phenylindole, 4-ethoxyphenyl isothiocyanate and 1,2- benzenedicarboxylic acid.

Contrary to other authors which mentioned that silver nitrate is the active principle of Hajar Jahannam, chemical analysis by X- Ray fluorescence excluded its containment of silver.

Further studies are recommended to study the effects of Hajar Jahannam after chronic local exposure.