The Evaluation of Fatal Vegetable Oil Poisoning in Forensic Medicine

Fatal poisonings, commonly encountered in forensic medicine, can be of several types: caustic, medicinal, gaseous, but rarely plant-based. This case illustrates a typical picture of poisoning from a vegetable oil called "Harmel"; prescribed and used inappropriately by a young woman. Our objective is to provide a descriptive analysis of the clinical picture of the toxic impregnation of this oil and its after-effects on the body, both ante- and post-mortem, highlighting the value of multidisciplinary work. This case involves a woman of good intellectual level who suffered from joint pain. Unfortunately, instead of consulting a doctor, she was suggested to take a preparation based on a mixture of vegetable oils prepared by a herbal seller. A few days after taking and applying these oils, and unaware of the dangers of wild rue "harmel," the woman fell into a coma and died almost a week later. We will present the typical fatal picture of this poisoning during life and after this woman's death, from a clinical, macroscopic, microscopic, and especially toxicological perspective.