PeterS

I am researching for a novel set in the medieval period. One of my historical characters dies of a nose bleed. Does anyone know of any poisons available at the time which would result in a nose bleed, presumably by acting on the blood clotting mechanism? Help would be much appreciated.

PeterS

Penfencer

Many rat poisons contain coumarin. Basically, it's a blood thinner, and one of the symptoms of ingesting it can include nose bleeds. I don't know if it was available at the time, though.

Here's an article about tonka beans, the major source of coumarin: Tonka bean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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PeterS

Thanks. I wondered about that one but didn't know what rat poison contained. I'll look into it.

PeterS