Colchicum autummnale. Colchicum, Meadow Saffron, Naked Ladies   Family: Liliaceae  
Flowers in Autumn, as the species name indicates. The other plant with the common name Naked lady is Amaryllis- Amaryllis belladonna.
PART USED: Corm, seeds
Corm: TASTE: Sweetish at first then bitter and acrid ODOR: Slight, sternutatory TOXICITY: Highly toxic- it must be used with extreme caution.
Seeds: TASTE: Bitter and acrid ODORLESS
ACTIONS
1. Analgesic.
INDICATIONS
1. Relief of pain in acute gout, usuallly when other methods have failed.[1]
2. Has been used as an ingredient of antirheumatic preparations.[1]
SIDE EFFECTS: Severe gastro-intestinal pain, nausea, diarrhea, and with larger doese renal damage and alopecia.[1]
PREPARATIONS
Liquid extract (BP1973), Colchicum dry extract (BP1948) 10-30 mg.[1]
Tincture (BP1973) 0.5-2 ml.[1]
DESCRIPTION: The plant produces a crocus like pale purple flower in the autumn. The corm is usually found in transverse slices, notches on one side, kidney shaped in outline and white and starchy internally. Seeds are dull brown, nearly sphereical, very hard, finely pitted, with a crest like projection at the hilium.
References
[1] Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations  R.C. Wren Revised by Elizabeth M. Williamson and Fred J Evans. First published in Great Britain in 1988 and reprinted in 1989 and 1994 by the C. W. Daniel Company Limited. 1 Church Path, Saffron Walden Essex. Published 1988 Printed and bound by Biddles, Guildford ISBN 085207 1973.
Images
1. gardeningexpress.co.uk
Constituents
Research

Case report: fatal poisoning with Colchicum autumnale.
Brvar M, Ploj T, Kozelj G, Mozina M, Noc M, Bunc M.
INTRODUCTION:
Colchicum autumnale, commonly known as the autumn crocus, contains alkaloid colchicine with antimitotic properties.
CASE REPORT:
A 76-year-old man with a history of alcoholic liver disease and renal insufficiency, who mistakenly ingested Colchicum autumnale instead of wild garlic (Aliium ursinum), presented with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea 12 hours after ingestion. On admission the patient had laboratory signs of dehydration. On the second day the patient became somnolent and developed respiratory insufficiency. The echocardiogram showed heart dilatation with diffuse hypokinesia with positive troponin I. The respiratory insufficiency was further deteriorated by pneumonia, confirmed by chest X-ray and later on by autopsy. Laboratory tests also revealed rhabdomyolysis, coagulopathy and deterioration of renal function and hepatic function. The toxicological analysis disclosed colchicine in the patient's urine (6 microgram/l) and serum (9 microgram/l) on the second day. Therapy was supportive with hydration, vasopressors, mechanical ventilation and antibiotics. On the third day the patient died due to asystolic cardiac arrest.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION:
Colchicine poisoning should be considered in patients with gastroenterocolitis after a meal of wild plants. Management includes only intensive support therapy. A more severe clinical presentation should be expected in patients with pre-existing liver and renal diseases. The main reasons for death are cardiovascular collapse, respiratory failure and leukopenia with infection.
PMID: 14975056 PMCID: PMC420069 DOI: 10.1186/cc2427 Crit Care. 2004 Feb;8(1):R56-9. Epub 2004 Jan 2. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A fatal case of autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) poisoning in a heifer: confirmation by mass-spectrometric colchicine detection.
Kupper J, Rentsch K, Mittelholzer A, Artho R, Meyer S, Kupferschmidt H, Naegeli H.
Abstract
A heifer developed severe signs of acute gastrointestinal irritation 48 hr after ingesting fresh leaves of Colchicum autumnale growing on a damp meadow. Confirmation of the suspected toxicosis was obtained by detecting colchicine in serum and urine using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization. Although the serum colchicine concentration had declined to an apparently nontoxic level of 2.4 ng/ml, a more prominent concentration (640 ng/ml) indicative of colchicine poisoning was detected in the urine. This finding is consistent with the known toxicokinetic properties of colchicine, whereby a large volume of distribution results in low circulating blood concentrations and prolonged urinary excretion.
PMID: 20093699 DOI: 10.1177/104063871002200125 J Vet Diagn Invest. 2010 Jan;22(1):119-22. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov