Dangerous indoor plants: hiding bright petals and small needles

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We may have plants on our windowsills that cannot be kept at home. Although they “delight” the eye, at the same time they contain poison. Dangerous house plants can be a potential cause of health problems in humans and animals. Therefore, we recommend to all lovers of flower pots and those who decide to buy a plant as a gift to check whether the indoor plants you are going to buy are poisonous. Candidate of biological sciences, senior lecturer of the biology department of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Ukrainian State University named after “UP. Life” told about indoor plants that pose a threat to people and animals. M. Drahomanova, Iryna Yezhel. These are tapelia with its unpleasant smell, cacti with thorns, and dieffenbachia with poisonous juice. Stapelia (Stapelia). Photo: ykoronovskiy/Depositphotos Dieffenbachia. Photo: tashka2000/Depositphotos “Some of them are particularly dangerous: ficus can cause dermatitis (redness and itching of the skin); aglaonema can cause diarrhea; euphorbia can not only cause sap burns, but also cause suffocation and blindness,” warns the biologist Iryna Yezhel. Aglaonema (Aglaonema). Photo: nawanthorn21/Depositphotos Euphorbia. Photo: ToyaKis/Depositphotos The effect of poisonous houseplants on health What is the best way to treat poisoning? Prevent its occurrence. There are many plants that are completely harmless when grown, but toxic when ingested. Chemical substances concentrated in plant cells serve as protection against insect and animal attacks. Among the most toxic are compounds found in castor oil and oleander, which are sometimes fatal if ingested. Castor oil (Ricinus). Photo: MrGrimGarden/The National Gardening Association List of plants that should not be kept indoors – find here: 11 indoor plants that can be poisonous to people and animals. Toxic compounds can cause side effects. The poison begins to act on the body when parts of the plant are swallowed or in contact with the skin: swallowing parts of the plant can cause poisoning, heart or kidney failure; contact with the skin may cause dermatitis or an allergic reaction; cleaning sharp thorns and spines is also extremely painful. At the same time, the body is affected not only by poison, but also volatile substances in the composition of houseplants with a pronounced smell. “Nasal congestion, difficulty breathing or snoring, diseases of the respiratory tract, dizziness, nausea or allergic reactions – all this can be the result of poorly selected plants in the bedroom. Therefore, it is better to keep plants with bright smells in a room that is constantly ventilated,” says biologist Iryna If Poisonous indoor plants are especially dangerous for children. It is worth considering that the child does not taste, play with or eat unfamiliar plants indoors or outdoors. Oleander (Oleander). Photo: Tunedln61/Depositphotos Certain plants affect humans and animals alike, while others pose a danger only to pets. Dangerous indoor plants for cats and dogs can cause the following symptoms in four-legged friends: vomiting; diarrhea; excessive secretion of saliva; trembling; difficulty breathing; difficulty in swallowing; convulsions; heart rhythm disturbances. Many plants are mildly toxic, and poisoning is difficult to recognize – it is temporary, mild gastrointestinal symptoms. However, others contain toxins that can affect the heart rhythm or central nervous system, potentially leading to death from heart failure or seizures. Read also: Invasive trees have no place in the wild: why the Ministry of Environment should ban their planting. Where is the danger: in the sap or in the petals? Leaves, flowers, roots, tubers, sap, pollen, and even thorns can cause damage. “The plant contains poisonous substances either in its entire body or in a certain part. It depends on which part it should protect the most from pests,” explains biologist Iryna Yezhel. 🪴 Why are the flowers of poisonous plants dangerous? Flowers signal the maximum amount of energy and substances in the plant: when they are nutritious and when they are poisonous. During flowering, the plant gathers all its strength for successful fruiting later. In order to bloom and attract insects to pollinate flowers, the plant organism turns on all its capabilities and synthesizes a large number of biologically active substances. That is why medicinal plants are advised to be collected at the beginning of flowering, but it is better not to buy poisonous and dangerous indoor flowers. “Azalea, for example, is such. It is also called rhododendron. It is a very beautiful and dangerous plant. Both flowers and leaves of azalea contain substances – glycosides. Poisoning by them can affect the heart rhythm and even cause death,” says the biologist. Azalea (Azalea). Photo: serezniy/Depositphotos Lily-of-the-valley also contains glycosides, the main of which is called convalotoxin and poses a danger to the cardiac activity of animals and humans in case of poisoning. Orchids are extremely popular. Most species are non-toxic and safe for pets, so their prevalence in human homes is quite justified and appropriate. Read also: 16 majestic plants from around the world that you want to admire in person Bouquets with chrysanthemums are popular. Chrysanthemums contain compounds that can cause severe allergic reactions in some people when consuming the flowers or juice. For animals, these flowers are especially dangerous, and cats suffer from chrysanthemum toxins more than dogs: if they overeat the plant, they may experience neurological symptoms, tremors, convulsions, coma, and even death. Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum). Photo: zenjung/Depositphotos 🪴 What do plant roots contain? In nature, plants are constantly competing with their neighbors for limited resources: light, nutrients, and water. Only the strongest survive and reproduce. To protect their territory from invading competitors, plants use so-called allelochemicals – toxic compounds that can suppress the growth and development of other plants. Plants are able to secrete chemical compounds from their roots into the soil, where these substances are decomposed or modified by microbes. Some of these products are toxic when the roots of nearby plants absorb them. For example, the use of tubers or roots of bright cyclamen can cause increased salivation, vomiting and diarrhea in animals, and when taking a large number of tubers: heart rhythm disturbances, convulsions and death, due to the release of specific toxins – saponins. Cyclamen (Cyclamen). Photo: Kobuspeche/Depositphotos 🪴 Is there poison in the leaves? Poisonous substances that accumulate in the leaves are extremely dangerous for animals, because they can bite home plants, for example: ivy. Ivy (Hédera). Photo: Myimagine/Depositphotos “Since ivy is very poisonous, if the leaves or fruits of this plant are handled carelessly, the consequences can be fatal. It is interesting that ivy also has benefits. It is able to protect damp rooms from the appearance of mold. It has been established that the probability of the spread of mold on the walls, and, as a result, the occurrence of respiratory tract diseases in people staying in such rooms decreases if ivy grows there. But it can kill not only mold, so you should be careful,” says biologist Iryna Yezhel. 🪴 What are the properties of the juice of poisonous plants? Contact with the sap of poisonous plants is more dangerous than trying to smell the flowers. The juice of poisonous plants is a real poison when consumed, and contact with it can cause allergies or dermatitis. “One of the most popular indoor plants is ficus, which cannot be called a categorically poisonous plant. However, it is a fairly common allergen. ficus (Ficus). Photo: simply/Depositphotos When caring for ficus, you should follow safety rules, that is, use rubber gloves. After all, getting juice on the skin can have unpleasant consequences in the form of irritation or burns. Therefore, you should be very careful when cutting ficus leaves. There are also some types of milkweed, similar to cacti, which are decorative in the home. Their juice contains poison that can cause skin burns, and if it gets in the mouth – nausea, dizziness, diarrhea and burns of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract,” the scientist emphasizes. Another plant that is incredibly beautiful and at the same time carries danger – amaryllis. Its juice contains lycorine and other harmful substances that can cause increased salivation, gastrointestinal disorders, lethargy and tremors. The bulb of the plant is considered more toxic than the flowers and stem. Amaryllis (Amaryllis). Photo: leisuretime13/Depositphotos Read also: Mini-garden on the balcony: how to grow greens and vegetables in an apartment 🪴 Why are needles dangerous? Cacti are generally non-poisonous and safe for owners and their pets if handled with care. The needles of some types of cacti can cause irritation and lead to an allergic reaction. It is clear that when parts of the plant are swallowed, gastrointestinal disorders are possible, both in animals and in humans. Cacti (Cactaceae). Photo: NewAfrica/Depositphotos “Cacti are dangerous on their spines not so much in terms of chemical compounds that are there, but in the form of microorganisms that live there. Unlike plants that have real leaves that can be easily wiped off dust, “You can’t rub cacti so easily. That’s why all the dust that accumulates on the spines can get under the skin and cause infection during a sting,” the biologist explains. Prickly pear is dangerous for animals. Swallowing even a small amount of fruit can lead to poisoning. Prickly pear (Opuntia). Photo: Tharakorn/Depositphotos 🪴 Can the smell of plants affect the residents of the house? Plants emit volatile substances for their smell. They can lead to health problems with individual intolerance or hypersensitivity to certain chemical compounds in the composition. Examples of such plants are geranium and lily. Geranium (Geranium). Photo: joruba75/Depositphotos “You shouldn’t put plants with a strong smell in the bedroom. You shouldn’t even have a faint smell either. In any case, these are volatile substances that will be constantly absorbed by the body during sleep. And how will it react to it , it’s hard to say, but I don’t recommend experimenting,” adds Iryna Yezhel. The ability to cause a headache is most characteristic of indoor plants with a strong aroma (lily, geranium). It is caused by substances that are released by flowers or leaves of plants. Our body reacts to smells, especially perceptible ones. With constant exposure to aromatic substances, the nervous system is exhausted – a headache occurs. Lily (Lilium). Photo: swkunst/Depositphotos This is especially dangerous for allergy sufferers, who can not only suffer from irritation of the nasal mucosa with volatile chemical compounds, but also quite often react to dust that accumulates on the leaves of indoor plants. On the other hand, can plants “prevent” headaches? “The biological basis of these properties lies in the size of the leaves. The larger the leaves of a plant, the better its ability to accumulate and neutralize harmful substances from the air. Accordingly, cleaning the air with plants will improve well-being,” explains biologist Iryna Yezhel. This ability is characterized by chlorophytum – a plant that is very easy to grow vegetatively and which can work as an air purifier. Chlorophytum (Chlorophytum). Photo: TYNZA/Depositphotos How do plants affect their owners at night? All living organisms breathe, and plants, of course, are no exception. In a room with a lot of plants, you can observe some fluctuations in the amount of oxygen during the night. “But this slight decrease does not pose a threat to human life and is definitely not a reason to refuse to decorate your home with green pets,” reassures Iryna Yezhel. Anna Bey, UP.Zhyttia Read also: Why plants can become a salvation for Ukrainians during the war? Science explains

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