5 Deadliest Poisons Ever Discovered

The Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus famously said, “All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison,” and he’s right. Even water in too large a quantity will kill you. However, some things require such a small amount to cause death sometimes just a drop falling on a fully gloved hand that they’re in a class all on their own. From flowers to heavy metals, from man made gases to venom, here are 5 Deadliest Poisons Known To Mankind.

* Codnamed "Purple Possum," VX is the most potent nerve gas on Earth. It's completely man made, and we can thank the United Kingdom for that. Technically it was banned in '93, and the US has supposedly dumped it's supply. Other countries are "working on it." Which we should totally trust, because governments are known for being 100% transparent about these things.

* Ricin, like Anthrax, is easy to lace letters with, but a bit more lethal. It's made from Castor beans, the same plant we get Castor Oil from. It's most deadly when inhaled, and a pinch will kill you very dead.

* The Golden Poison Dart Frog is tiny, adorable, and quite deadly. Just one frog is about the size of the end of your thumb, and contains enough neurotoxin to kill ten men! A dose that equals about two grains of salt is enough to kill adult humans. This is why some Amazonian tribes have used their venom to coat the tips of their hunting darts. Just a graze will kill you good and dead within minutes! A good rule: If it's a frog, and it's yellow, blue, green, or red, don't touch it.

* Pufferfish is considered to be a delicacy in some countries called Fugu; it's a dish some will literally die for. Why? Because it contains Tetrodotoxin around the internal organs, and around 5 people a year die in Japan from eating Pufferfish that's not prepared correctly. Yet they persist.

* Botulinum toxin is caused by Clostridium Botulinum bacterium, and it's an incredibly powerful neurotoxin. It causes paralysis which can lead to death. You may know Botulinum toxin by it's commercial name - Botox. Yeah, that stuff the doctor injects into your mom's forehead to make her less wrinkly (or into your neck to help with migraines) paralyzes muscles with Botulinum Toxin.