City AIIMS begins study on cycad toxicity in Odisha

In a pioneering effort, AIIMS-Bhubaneswar has initiated research into the toxicological effects of cycad plants in Odisha, following alarming findings of the neurotoxin BMAA (-N-methylamino-L-alanine) in local cycad species.

- POST NEWS NETWORK

This comes as certain communities continue ancestral consumption of cycad products, such as ‘pitha’, raising concerns about potential links to neurological disorders.

Cycads, ancient plants that have survived for over 300 million years, contain potent toxins including Cycacin, BMAA, and MAM (methylazoxymethanol). Globally, studies have associated these toxins with debilitating neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinsonism, motor neuron disease, and dementia, notably in regions like the Guam peninsula (USA) and Kii peninsula (Japan), where cycads were traditionally consumed.