Toxic plants to avoid

 Toxic plants to avoid

Toxic plants are plants that contain chemicals or compounds that can cause harm to humans, animals, or other organisms when ingested, touched, or inhaled. These toxic substances can result in various adverse effects, ranging from mild irritation to severe poisoning or even death. Common examples include oleander, fox glove and Lily of the valley. The toxicity of a plant can vary depending on the species and the amount of exposure.

Oleander:

Oleander poisoning:

Rosebay poisoning; Yellow oleander poisoning; Thevetia peruviana poisoning

Oleander poisoning occurs when someone eats the flowers or chews the leaves or stems of the oleander plant (Nerium oleander), or its relative, the yellow oleander (Cascabela thevetia).

Poisonous ingredients include:

• Digitoxigenin

• Neriin

• Oleandrin

• Oleondroside

The poisonous substances are found in all parts of the oleander plant including: 

Flowers

Leaves

Stems

Twigs

Symptoms

Oleander poisoning can affect many parts of the body.

HEART AND BLOOD

• Irregular or slow heartbeat

• Low blood pressure

• Weakness

EYES, EARS, NOSE, MOUTH, AND THROAT

• Blurred vision

• Vision disturbances, including halos around objects

STOMACH AND INTESTINES

• Diarrhea

• Loss of appetite

• Nausea and vomiting

• Stomach pain

NERVOUS SYSTEM

• Confusion

• Death

• Depression

• Disorientation

• Dizziness

• Drowsiness

• Fainting

• Headache

• Lethargy

SKIN

• Hives

• Rash

All these are common symptoms of oleander toxicity, these symptoms can vary depending upon the amount of exposure to oleander or the person immune system. Person with less immunity might show adverse symptoms and may be result in death. 

Foxglove:
Foxglove poisoning:

Willow-leaved foxglove poisoning; Revebjelle poisoning. 

Foxglove poisoning most often occurs from sucking the flowers or eating the seeds, stems, or leaves of the foxglove plant.

Poisoning may also occur from taking more than the recommended amounts of medicines made from foxglove.

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is a common garden plant that contains digitalis and other cardiac glycosides. These chemicals affect the heart. Foxglove is poisonous, although recorded poisonings from this plant are very rare.

Poisonous ingredients include:

• Deslanoside

• Digitoxin

• Digitalis glycoside

The poisonous substances are found in:

• Flowers, leaves, stems, and seeds of the foxglove plant. 

• Heart medicine (digitans glycoside)

Symptoms

Symptoms for the heart and blood include:

• Irregular or slow heartbeat

• Collapse

• Low blood pressure (shock)

Other possible symptoms include:

• Blurred vision

• Confusion

• Depression

• Disorientation or hallucinations

• Halos around objects (yellow, green, white)

• Headache

• Lethargy

• Loss of appetite

• Stomach pain

• Vomiting, nausea, or diarrhea

• Weakness or drowsiness

All parts of the foxglove plant are toxic to animals and people. Even inhaling the pollen can cause an adverse reaction in some people. The leaves have fine hairs that can cause a rash that can last for two to three weeks.

Foxglove, while very beautiful with its trumpet like blossoms, are very poisonous to dogs, cats, and even humans. 

Lily of the valley

The lily of the valley plants are extremely toxic. All parts of the plant can cause illness when eaten. It is categorized as having major toxicity.The lily of the valley contains several compounds that can affect the heart. It may be used in very small quantities in medication, but ingesting the plant can lead to severe illness, cardiac distress, and even death.

The roots of the flower contain the most amount of poison, but poisoning cases are most often the result of children eating the berries. Some people may experience a rash or skin irritation from touching the plant.

Lily of the Valley Poisoning

While the compounds in the lily of the valley mainly attack the heart, lily of the valley poison effects can ravage the whole body.Cardiac symptoms. Lily of the valley affects your heart, causing it to pump more slowly and forcefully. Lily of the valley poison symptoms of the heart include:

Symptoms

• Fainting

• Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)

• Slow heartbeat

Gastrointestinal symptoms.

Gastrointestinal symptoms caused by eating lily of the valley include:

• Diarrhea

• Excessive urination at night

• Loss of appetite

• Nausea

• Stomach pain

• Vomiting

Nervous system symptoms. Lily of the valley can also affect the nervous system. If you eat lily of the valley, you may experience:

• Confusion

• Depression

• Overall weakness

Vision symptoms. Lily of the valley may impact your vision and lead to symptoms such as blurry vision or seeing halos around objects.

Depression, loss of appetite, and halos in your vision are usually only present in cases of chronic overdose.

Skin symptoms. Touching lily of the valley may lead to skin irritation. This can cause symptoms like:

• Bumps

• Blisters

• Itching

All these plants cause severe illness to human, they are not just toxic for human but also for pets like cats, dogs, horses, and rabbit. They can cause illness in these animals or even prove fatal if large amount of plant part is intake by these animals. To protect these animals keep them away from these toxic plants or prevent there contact with these plants. 

To avoid the negative effects on human health is simply by providing awareness to people about the poison nature of the plants and it's adverse effects on human health. Wear glove when handling these plants, avoid ingestion, or grow plants in the area which is not accessible to children or pets. 

In this way we can protect ourselves from the toxic effects to these dangerous plants. 

Activated charcoal are use to absorb toxins in stomach. And antitode are also use in medical depending upon the amount to poison present in the body.