Some familiar ornamental plants contain deadly poisons

Oleander, rhododendron, and cactus are familiar ornamental plants, but few people know that they contain toxins that affect health.

Professor, Doctor Nguyen Quang Thach, Faculty of Biotechnology - Vietnam Academy of Agriculture said, at the top of the list of ornamental plants with dangerous toxins is oleander.

Accordingly, all parts of this plant contain a creamy, ivory-colored resin containing very dangerous Cn radicals. They inhibit all respiratory enzymes. If used in the correct dose, it has a cardiac-supporting effect; if overdosed, it can cause poisoning or even death.

Professor Thach said that oleander flowers are very beautiful, so they are used quite a lot in apartment buildings and along national highways. If people do not know about their toxins, it will be very dangerous. Contact with their sap can cause instant poisoning. Just eating 10-20 oleander leaves can endanger an adult's life, and just one leaf can cause death in children. This expert has witnessed many cases of cattle being poisoned after eating oleander leaves.

Rhododendron tree illustration.

Sharing the same view, Professor Ngo Quang De, former Chairman of the Ornamental Plants Association of Hanoi Forestry University, also warned that oleander plants contain toxins. When the toxins enter the body, they cause symptoms such as severe vomiting, followed by fatigue, headache, dizziness, and abdominal pain. More severe poisoning can lead to heart failure, low blood pressure, coma, and arrhythmia. If not treated promptly, it can lead to death.

Professor De said that in the past, this type of tree was grown a lot in residential areas and pagodas, but now it is banned. He advised people to stay away from them.

Similar to oleander, rhododendron has beautiful flowers so many people grow them in their homes. However, all parts of the plant contain toxins called andromedotoxin and arbutin glucoside. According to research, an amount of 100-225 grams of rhododendron leaves is enough to cause severe poisoning in a 25 kg child.

In addition, according to this expert's research, cacti are also a familiar ornamental plant that needs to be careful because their latex is very toxic. Cactus latex sticks to the skin and mucous membranes, causing blisters and burns. When the latex gets into the eyes, it can cause blindness. Drinking cactus latex can cause poisoning, stomachache, diarrhea...

However, the toxins of these two plants are not as dangerous as those of oleander.

As for the Dieffenbachia and Cycad plants, which many people warn contain deadly poison, Professor De said that this information is incorrect. These are both beneficial ornamental plants that are commonly grown. There are many types of Dieffenbachia, such as climbing plants and plants with stems like sugarcane stems, with spotted or spotless leaves, very wide foliage and very good photosynthetic ability.

This plant is widely grown indoors because of its air-purifying effect by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. Cycas have also been grown for generations, and their toxicity is negligible.

According to Professor De, with ornamental plants that are warned to be poisonous such as oleander, rhododendron, cactus, it is best not to grow them indoors to avoid the risk of children or adults accidentally coming into contact with them. In addition, with all types of plants, the absolute principle is not to eat or drink them on your own because they are not edible. At that time, the possibility of allergies and poisoning can completely occur./.

According to Zing.vn