6 Extremely Poisonous Plants People Confuse for Food
Most of us know to exercise caution around
mushrooms. We’ve all been taught about the dangers of fungi and are
taught to stay away from toadstools unless we’re 100% sure we recognize
the specific species and know for a fact it’s safe for consumption. The
same goes for mold, which we will only ever accept on our food if that
food is blue cheese.
And yet, when it comes to true plants, many people drop their guard down
for inexplicable reasons. Maybe they are under the misguided impression
that because plants are “natural” that necessarily means they’re good
for us. While far from the most common cause of poisoning (that dubious
honor belongs to carbon monoxide and household items such as pesticide),
hospitalization due to the ingestion of poisonous plants is entirely
preventable.
The first rule of thumb is to NEVER INGEST ANY PLANT YOU UNLESS YOU’RE
ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN IT’S SAFE. But knowing about particular plants which
pose more threat can also help mitigate the odds of poisoning from
occurring.
1. Nerium Oleander
This decorative shrub is native to the
subtropical regions of Africa, Europe, and Asia, but has been introduced
to America, where it thrives, particularly along coastal areas. They
are prized for their beautiful flowers, which commonly range from
rosy-white to red, though yellow oleanders can also be found. Oleanders
are easy to recognize by their leaves, which are tough, long and sharp.
It is also among the most poisonous plants that can grow in your garden.
All parts of the plant are incredibly toxic, with the poison directly
targeting the heart, causing cardiac arrest, coma or even death when
ingested. Stories abound of people brewing oleander tea and being rushed
to the hospital. And humans aren’t the only mammals susceptible to
oleander poisoning, a fact that can be deduced by one of the shrub’s
nicknames: dogbane. Needless to say, keep your canine friends away from
this bush.
2. Belladonna
This plump and inviting fruit may look like
a cherry or blueberry and is actually sweet if bitten, but it’s one of
the most toxic plants known to man, with two to four berries being
enough to kill a child. Also known as deadly nightshade, the use of this
plant as poison was so ubiquitous in ancient times that when Europeans
first saw its American cousin, the tomato, they suspected it of being
toxic, a rumor that was exacerbated by the reaction of the tomato’s
acids with toxic lead in their pewter dining plates.
Regardless, the dangers of belladonna are very real, and curious
children especially should be warned about this plant.
3. Buckeye and Horse Chestnut
These nuts may not be lethal, but they are
toxic and easily confused with the unrelated and edible chestnut, as
they have the same shape, alluring sheen and are housed within an
accessory fruit. The fruit of the true chestnut is covered by a
multitude of dense, sharp spines that look like that of a hedgehog,
while the fruit of the poisonous horse chestnut is only mildly prickly
and the buckeye has no spines, at all.
4. Rhododendrons and Azaleas
Poisonous plants: rhododendron azalea
Rhododendrons, of which azaleas are
subspecies, are beautiful flowering plants, a great addition to any
garden, but their sweet nectar houses dangerous mind-altering toxins.
There is an ancient tradition in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), dating
back more than two thousand years ago of deliberately feeding this
poisonous nectar to bees, who go on to produce hallucinogenic honey.
According to a legend, Roman legionnaires in the 1st century BC fell to a
literal honeypot trap, when their opponents left this “mad honey” for
the Romans to find.
5. Horsenettle
Not actually a true nettle despite its
name, this American plant is another deadly member of the nightshade
family, and is sometimes known as the devil’s tomato or wild tomato.
Ingesting the horsenettle’s tomato-like fruit can cause hypoventilation
and sometimes death.
6. Pokeweed
These beautiful berries are commonly eaten
by birds, but for humans, they’re potentially-lethal poison. All parts
of this plant are poisonous, a fact that is somewhat confused by one of
this plant’s alternative names, poke salad (not to be confused with the
Hawaiian poke bowl). Why a salad? Because the shoots and leaves (never
the berries!) can be prepared in such a way that they are edible, but
unless you know-how, you should probably not make the effort. Ingestion
can cause all sorts of gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting,
cramps and bloody stool, as well as convulsions and deadly respiratory
failure.