In article , Janet Baraclough
wrote:
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from (paghat) contains these words:
In article .com,
"huerochingon" wrote:
I hear Euphorbias are poisonous. I have one in my yard and I have 3
young children. Should I go and tear it out? Is it poisonous to the
point of being dangerous? How much would a 2 year old have to ingest
for it to do harm? I love the tree but not enough to risk getting the
kids sick. Thanks.
Adan
There are scores of euphorbias, some more toxic than others, most pretty
minor as toxicity goes. They all taste so hideous that if a child started
munching on one, they'd stop instantly, & the worst that would happen is
they'd cry because it tasted so nasty & stung their lips.
If they got the sap all over themselves by ripping some of it all to
shreds, & were particularly sensitive to it, they could have a short-term
skin rash.
Well, no, it's not short-term and it's worse than a rash. Euphorbia
sap commonly causes skin photosensitivity, which can last several years.
The initial effect is like a burn, a hot sore watery blister. That
breaks down then heals up, with much itching, bu the next time the
previously-injured patch of skin is exposed to sunlight, it blisters all
over again, and the cycle is repeated. On white skin, the pigmentation
is affected for even longer than the photosensitivity reaction.
"Commonly causes skin photosensitivity" -- that's one you'll have to document.
Plant-induced photosensitivity can be caused by ingesting very large
amounts of certain herbal remedies such as St John's Wart, or from
ingesting or physical contact with plants of a few family groups that do
not include euphorbias -- & it's a well-studied area so if euphorbias were
one of the problem plants for photosensitivity PubMed would reaveal it.
It's an EXTREMELY rare adverse reaction in any event, & a search of PubMed
finds no such cases involving euphorbia. So you'd have to be LOTS more
specific than this -- specific species, medically documented incidents --
as it sounds alarmist based on something rare even for the most caustic
latex of highly toxic tropical euphorbias, & saying "euphorbias" all
inclusively is like saying "Liquids under burn your eyes out."
Phytophotodermatitis from contact with plants though not specially
associated with euphorbias can involve a number of plants in any garden &
foods in the refrigerator. This response is generally are seen only in
individuals who already have liver or skin conditions that cause chronic
photosensitivity from all sorts of things, like exposure to orange peals
or soap.
In the top-ten genuses that are associated with this rare response, there
are no euphorbias; the majority of these rare cases are associated with
citris, beans, & most especially plants of the Umbelliferae family
including celery. Oh no! scary celery!
Although euphorbias are not on the list of plants that can cause
photosensitivity in humans, these a Queen Ann's Lace, parsnip, cow
parsnip/hodgweed (Heracleum spondylium), celery, lime (decreasingly, other
citruses), figs, scurf pea (Psoralea corylifolia), & gas plant/burning
bush (Dictamnus alba). In special populations of individuals prone to
photosensitivity, they will also have to worry about the Compositae family
in particular, & avoid contact with chrysanthemums, tansies,
dandylions, endive, lettuce... among the secondary group, chrysanthemums
are the greatest risk.
Ingestion is usually necessary but for some people topical contact is
sufficient, especially for individuals already immune compromised,
alcoholic, or with bad livers. While an exhaustive search MIGHT find cases
involving some variety of euphorbia, it would still be less to worry about
than those scary celery sticks & figleaves & mums.
I don't have particularly sensitive skin, but developed this while
handling euphorbia. I was wearing a tee shirt and gloves, my bare arms
between the glove and the shirt were just repeatedly brushing against
the euphorbia leaves ...no contact with white sap at all. Within hours
that area was covered in wet blisters like a burn. That recurred all
summer. The following summer, I was still getting some itchy sun
reaction. The dark pigmentation change lasted several years after that.
And I caught a terrible cold after eating walnuts. Diagnosing yourself
with euphorbia-induced phytophotodermatitis which the literature does not
support is not sound evidence. Photosensitivity of rashes or scratches or
abrasions is not at all impossible; that can be caused by a rugburn or
rubbing your nose too hard with a hanky; it has little or nothing to do
with plants. The phytochemicals that can cause photosensitivity are
well-studied & known; euphorbias don't have them.
In contrast to your allergic response that does jive all that well with
medical probabilities, this past week I pulled by hand & naked arms a
huge patch of Euphorbia amygdaloides & I was soon bepattered with latex;
it was even all over my neck from lugging a big armload to the compost. I
completely spaced out the sensible act of going indoors immediately to
wash my hands & arms & neck, but just kept on gardening, so I had this
latex on me until near dinner time when I went indoors & took a shower.
I'm sure that during that period I even had occasion to pick my nose a
couple of times & to pee & wipe, yet even touching myself in sensitive
places I had zero response to the latex. If I were to extrapolate as you
have done from my lone experience, I should say it's 100% safe, don't
worry, go roll in it.
But personal experience is not always to go by because untrained medical
self-diagnosis is one of the more extreme follies. It's well documented in
the medical literature says that dermatitis is a real risk from euphorbia,
the more so for individuals with a sensitivity to it. The same literature
does NOT support the notion of euphorbia causing phytophotosensitivity the
way citrus & figs & parsnips & lettuce & chrysanthemums can.
I still grow lots of euphorbias but I'm extremely careful to avoid
any skin contact at all. A child would not need to eat the plant to be
affected; just falling against one and breaking stems/leaves could have
very painful consequences.
Janet
If someone just strongly desired to be scared shitless they might have a
lasting attack of phytophotosensitivity, staying away from the celery
would be lots more sensible than fretting about euphorbia, though both are
rather paranoid. If the rarest most distant possibilities must
additionally be taken into consideration before one trusts one's very life
& well-being to the garden, then gardening just isn't the thing to do.
Everytime I touch dirt in the garden I risk death by tetanus, & the older
I get the bigger that risk gets, same as for all gardeners. But I keep on
gardening even though tetamis os a MUCH bigger risk than a bout of
phytophotosensitivity even from the plants that might cause it, let alone
from euphorbias not likely to cause it.
-paghat the ratgirl
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