Poisonous plants

There are more than 700 types of poisonous plants in the United States and Canada, including indoor plants, those used for landscaping, those used in vegetable gardens and plants that grow naturally in the wild.

Touching certain poisonous plants, such as poison ivy or poison oak, can irritate your skin. Inhaling the substances of certain plants can irritate the lining of your airways and lungs. Finally, eating certain poisonous plants can be toxic -- or even deadly. Toxicity generally depends on how much of the plant is eaten, but some plants are toxic if even a small amount is ingested. In some cases, the entire plant is poisonous. For others, ust part of the plant may be poisonous, such as the berries, branches, leaves, bulbs, seeds or pits.


Poisonous household plants
Dieffenbachia, philodendron, caladium and elephant's ear contain a protein in their sap that can cause severe burning and irritation of the mouth, tongue, lips and throat if ingested. Rarely, extreme inflammation can close the airway.
Crown-of-thorns, pencil tree or milk bush, poinsettia and snow-on-the-mountain contain a poisonous milky liquid. Skin contact with the milky liquid may cause dermatitis (inflammation of the upper layers of skin) in some people. If it's ingested, an allergic person may experience symptoms from mouth and stomach irritation to fainting, depending on the type of plant ingested.

Jerusalem cherry contains an extremely toxic substance called solanine. Ingesting the berries of this plant can cause headaches and abdominal pain, and may even lead to shock and paralysis of the circulatory and respiratory system.

Other common poisonous household plants include aloe, bird of paradise, calla lily, castor bean, and English ivy.


Other poisonous plants
Poisonous flowering plants include autumn crocus, azalea, bleeding heart, castor bean plant, chrysanthemum, daffodil (bulb), foxglove, hyacinth (bulb), iris, jonquil, larkspur, lily of the valley, morning glory, narcissus (bulb), poppy, pothos, sunflower (in large amounts) and sweet pea.
Poisonous herbs include chamomile, ginseng (root), horsetail, juniper berries, nutmeg (oil), pennyroyal (oil), sassafrass (oil from roots and bark), senna, shave grass and sweet woodruff. Typically, illness does not occur unless excessive amounts of these herbs are ingested.

Poisonous trees, shrubs and vines include azalea, black locust, boxwood, burning bush (berries), daphne (berries), elderberry, hemlock, holly (berry), horse chestnut, hydrangea, lantana, mountain laurel, oak tree, oleander, privet (leaves and berries), rhododendron, Virginia creeper, wisteria and yew.

Apple, pear, and crab apple seeds and fruit pits (such as peach and apricot) are poisonous if ingested in large amounts.

Poisonous vegetable garden plants include potatoes (sprouts, roots and vines), rhubarb (leaves and roots) and tomato (leaves and stems).

Poisonous wild plants include bittersweet (fruit), nightshade, buttercups, chokecherry seeds, Indian tobacco, jack-in-the-pulpit (fruit), jimson weed (thornapple), may apple, mistletoe (berries), certain types of mushrooms, poison hemlock, poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, pokeberry, pokeweed, skunk cabbage and water hemlock.


Treatment
If any of the plants listed above or other unknown plants are ingested, call the National Poison Control Hotline at (800) 222-1222 to be automatically connected to your local poison control center for further instruction. Keep this 800 number handy in case of an emergency.
Never use syrup of ipecac to induce vomiting unless the poison control center or your doctor instructs you to do so. Vomiting can be dangerous for certain types of poisoning and is rarely recommended.


Prgnancy-specific information
The safety of many herbal teas and supplements during pregnancy is unknown. Others -- including aloe, chamomile, comfrey, papaya, passion flower, pennyroyal, raspberry, St John's Wort, sassafras and others -- have been found to be harmful during pregnancy. Discuss the use of any herbal teas or supplements with your doctor.

Senior-specific information
Growing older is not a risk factor for exposure to poisonous plants.

Prevention
Know your plants. Consider using nonpoisonous plants indoors and for landscaping. Contact a local nursery or floral shop for help identifying particular plants.

Label the plants with their common and botanical names in and around your home.

Discard fallen leaves from houseplants.

Promptly dispose of any mushrooms that grow in your yard.

Teach your child that it's important not to eat any part of a plant because it may be poisonous and could make him or her sick.

Store seeds and bulbs out of your child's reach.

Keep poisonous plants away from children by using hanging baskets, high shelves or window boxes.

Supervise fruit or vegetable picking. It's easy for a child to confuse edible and nonedible parts.

Unless you have special training, do not use plants to make your own medicines or teas.

Don't burn poisonous plants such as poison oak, poison ivy or sumac. The inhaled smoke can irritate the lining of the airways.

Dress properly in wooded areas to avoid exposure to poison oak, poison ivy or sumac. This includes pants and long-sleeved shirts.

Wear gloves when doing yard work.