Your plants might be more dangerous than you think

In the cooking section Joseph Lofthouse brings up the fact that dried beans contain poison.
So, I thought it might be a good idea to give everyone here a list of plants that contain poisons, along with how these work and what the symptoms are.
This is not something put up to scare folks. But you might want to keep a copy of this for reference.
I know most of us are aware of many of these but it never hurts to have a list to refer too.

First the beans:

Kidney beans contain a natural toxin called lectin.
This can cause stomach aches and vomiting.
The toxin is destroyed by proper cooking

When using dried kidney beans, follow these three steps to destroy the toxins:
•soak the dried beans in water for at least 12 hours
•drain and rinse the beans, then cover them with fresh water
•boil them vigorously for at least 10 minutes, then simmer the beans for around 45-60 minutes to make them tender

Soya beans contain a natural toxin called a trypsin inhibitor.
This can stop you digesting food properly.
The toxin is destroyed by proper cooking.

When using dried soya beans, follow these three steps to destroy the toxins:
•soak the dried beans in water for at least 12 hours
•drain and rinse the beans, then cover them with fresh water
•boil them vigorously for one hour, then simmer the beans for about two to three hours to make them tender

And now the not nearly complete, but "usual culprits" list:

Abrus precatorius [Fabaceae] (precatory bean, rosary pea).
A single seed can kill an adult. Symptoms may not appear for one to three days.
Phytotoxins are abrin and the tetanic glycoside, abric acid, which are chemically related to the toxins produced by bacteria and snake venoms.
Symptoms of poisoning include anemia, circulatory collapse, cold sweat, coma, convulsions, diarrhea, drowsiness, fast pulse, general weakness,
kidney failure, labored breathing, nausea, severe stomach pain, trembling, vomiting, and weak pulse.
May cause death. The seeds are large and used as beads on Mexican necklaces. The plant is grown in the south and central parts of Florida

Aconitum napellus, A. columbianum [Ranunculaceae] (monkshood, wolfsbane, aconite, buttercup).
Grows in cool, damp, mountainous areas. Has blue or yellow flowers.
A. ferox roots are the source of the Nepalese poison "bikh" (a.k.a. "bish" or "nabee").
Aconitum's toxic properties come from pseudaconitine, one of the deadliest poisons.
It causes a tingling sensation in the mouth, skin, and stomach, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, muscular weakness, spasms, weak pulse,
respiratory failure, dimming vision, low blood pressure, and convulsions.
There is no antidote.
Even a small drop of the plant can be fatal.
The roots and seeds are most toxic, containing aconine and aconitine, and are at their most toxic when the plant is in its pre-flowering stage.
The roots can be mistaken for horseradish.

Amanita phalloides, A. muscaria [Amanitaceae] (destroying angel, deadly amanita, death cap, fly agaric).
This is the most dangerous species of mushroom in North America.
It accounts for 90% of all mushroom poisonings in the United States.
Only one or two mushrooms can kill, even after being cooked.
As little as one-third of a mushroom cap can kill a child.
Symptoms occur from six to 24 hours after ingestion: intense abdominal pain, profuse vomiting, diarrhea, circulatory failure,
coma, liver damage (resulting in jaundice), Usually fatal; recovery is rare even after treatment.

Astragalus spp. [Leguminosae] (locoweed).
Contains alkaloids that are toxic.
There are hundreds of species, all toxic, even when they are dried out.
All are capable of causing immediate death or chronic poisoning which ultimately leads to death.

Atropa belladonna [Solanaceae] (deadly nightshade).
This plant is an ornamental in the southwest part of the United States.
The bulbs contain the toxic alkaloids, which cause respiratory paralysis.
A mere three berries can kill a child.

Buxus longifolia [Buxaceae] (box tree).
This plant's black glossy seeds can be fatal when eaten, particularly by children.

Caladium spp. [Araceae] (elephant ears).
The parts of these plants all contain calcium oxalate raphides which cause burning and intense irritation of the lips, mouth, and pharynx.

Cicuta maculata, C. douglasii, Cicuta spp. [Apiaceae, Umbelliferae] (water hemlock, cowbane).
This is probably the most violently poisonous plant in the northern temperate zone of the world.
At least 30% of all poisonings are fatal. The roots and new growth are the most toxic, as is the fruit.
The toxins act on the central nervous system causing frothing at the mouth, spasms, tremors, dilated pupils, intestinal distress and pain,
diarrhea, convulsions, delirium, respiratory failure, paralysis, and death.
A single mouthful or two bites of the root is enough to kill an adult male within 30 minutes or less.

Claviceps purpurea [Clavicipitaceae] (ergot).
This is a fungal disease of grain, which when ingested causes seizures and hallucinations.
Ergot was investigated by Timmothy Leary in the early 1960's. It is Ergot from which L.S.D. was first isolated.

Codiaeum tiglium, Codiaeum spp. [Euphorbiaceae] (croton).
Ingestion of the seeds, which contain "oil of croton," cause a burning pain in the mouth and stomach,
rapid heartbeat, bloody diarrhea, coma, and in severe cases, death.
A lot of seeds have to be ingested by an adult to be fatal.

Colchicum autumnale [Colchicaceae] (autumn crocus).
The toxin in this plant is an alkaloid called colchicine, which is present in all parts of the plant.
When ingested, symptoms of poisoning include a burning in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, severe diarrhea,
respiratory problems, muscle weakness, kidney failure, circulatory collapse, shock, and often death.
(Colchicine is used as a "Mutator" in the seed industry, it will cause polypoloidism in the DNA/RNA of surviving seeds.

Conium maculatum [Apiaceae, Umbelliferae] (poison hemlock).
The leaves of this plant are often mistaken for parsley.
The seeds and the roots are the most toxic, as they contain the alkaloid conine and other related alkaloids.
The plant has a very unpleasant taste, so voluntary ingestion is unlikely.

Convallaria majalis [Convallariceae, Liliaceae, Ruscaceae] (lily of the valley).
This plant contains a glycoside, convallatoxin, which is similar to the action of digitalis.
It acts as a stimulus to the heart and also contains irritating saponins.
The water in which lily of the valley is kept is poisonous and can kill if accidentally ingested.
Symptoms of poisoning include mouth pain, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, hallucinations, depression, heart failure, and death.

Cyanophyta [Nostocaceae, Oscillatoriaceae] (blue green algae).
The entire plant is toxic, and if either drinking or swimming in water with dense blooms,
symptoms of poisoning can occur within 15-45 minutes, death in 1-24 hours.
Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, muscle tremors, difficulty breathing, bluish skin, convulsing, general paralysis, and death.

Datura meteloides [Solanaceae] (jimson weed, devil's weed, moonflower).
The seeds are toxic, and only 20 can cause poisoning in an adult.
Symptoms of poisoning include dry mouth, thirst, redness of skin, disturbed vision, pupil dilation, nausea,
vomiting, headache, hallucinations, excitement, rapid pulse, delirium, incoherent speech, convulsions, elevated temperature, high blood pressure, coma and, in severe cases, death.

Dieffenbachia maculata [Araceae] (dumb cane).
The leaves contain water-insoluble calcium oxalate raphides and protein-based toxins.
There is immediate and intense pain on contact with the mouth.
The mucus lining swells and speech may become intelligible or impossible.
Contact dermatitis and inflammation of the cornea and the conjunctiva are also common.

Euphorbia spp. [Euphorbiaceae] (euphorbia).
There are over 1,500 species.
Most of them produce a milky latex that contains complex terpenes (unsaturated hydrocarbons).
Contact with the latex causes dermatitis, inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea, and gastritis.
Poinsettias do not contain the toxic terpenes common to other species.

Galanthus nivalis [Amaryllidaceae] (snowdrop).
The bulb contains lycorine which affects the heart and nervous system.
Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Gelsemium sempervirens [Loganiaceae, Gelsemiaceae] (yellow jasmine).
The roots and nectar contain the alkaloids gelsemine and gelseminine.
Symptoms of poisoning include profuse sweating, nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, double vision,
convulsions, respiratory problems, paralysis of motor nerves, and death.

Gloriosa spp. [Colchicaceae, Ruscaceae] (gloriosa lily).
The tubers are the most toxic and contain colchicine and other poisonous alkaloids which result in death within four hours of ingestion.
Contact with the mouth results in numbness and burning of the lips, tongue, and throat.
Ingestion results in burning of the stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, shock, convulsions, respiratory failure, and death.

Hedera helix, H. canariensis [Araliaceae] (English ivy, Algerian ivy).
The leaves and berries are poisonous, containing hederin.
Symptoms of poisoning include burning in the throat, gastroenteritis, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Helleborus niger [Ranunculaceae] (Christmas rose).
The entire plant contains digitalis-like glycosides, saponins, and irritants called protoanemonins.
Symptoms of poisoning include pain in the mouth and abdomen, nausea, vomiting, cramping, and diarrhea.
Toxicity of the digitalis glycoside can result in rhythmic disturbances in the heart.

Hippeastrum spp. [Amaryllidaceae] (amaryllis).
The bulb contains emetic lycorine and small amounts of related alkaloids.
Ingestion in large amounts results in nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Hydrangea spp. [Hydrangeaceae] (hydrangea).
The flower buds are extremely toxic containing a glycoside which reacts with water or saliva to release cyanide ions.
The symptoms of poisoning include abdominal pain, vomiting, lethargy, sweating, and sometimes coma.

Hyoscyamus niger [Solanaceae] (henbane).
This is an herb that produces a fetid odor when crushed.
The seed pods or seeds themselves contain the alkaloid hyoscyamine, which can be fatal when ingested by a child.

Iris spp. [Iridaceae] (iris).
The roots of some species are toxic.
They contain an irritant resin.
Symptoms of poisoning include stomach and intestinal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Lantana spp. [Verbenaceae] (lantana).
This plant is found all over the United States.
It's green berries are the most toxic part.
Symptoms of poisoning include stomach and intestinal irritation, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, muscular weakness, jaundice, circulatory collapse and, in severe cases, death.

Lobelia cardinalis, Lobelia spp. [Campanulaceae, Lobeliaceae] (lobelia).
All parts of the plant are poisonous and contain lobeline, lobelamine, and other alkaloids.
Can be fatal. Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, sweating, exhaustion,
weakness, lowered temperature, prostration, feeble pulse, dilated pupils, abdominal pain, stupor, tremors, convulsions, respiratory failure, and coma.

Malus sylvestris [Rosaceae] (apple).
The seeds contain prussic acid (cyanide).
A single cup of seeds is sufficient to be fatal.
Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, muscle tremors, difficulty breathing, bluish skin, convulsing, general paralysis and, in severe cases, death.

Manihot spp. [Euphorbiaceae] (cassavas, tapiocas, maniocs).
The roots are toxic when raw.
They contain amygdalin, a soluble cyanogenetic glycoside that breaks down into hydrocyanic acid (cyanide).
Symptoms of poisoning include muscular incoordination, convulsions, coma, and death, usually within minutes of ingestion.

Monstera deliciosa [Araceae] (split-leaf philodendron, Swiss cheese plant).
Contact between the leaves and the mouth results in burning of the lips and mouth, acute inflammation, blistering and swelling of the tissues, hoarseness, and difficulty swallowing.

Narcissus spp. [Amaryllidaceae] (daffodil, jonquil, narcissus).
The bulbs contain lycorine, which can paralyze the heart and number the central nervous system.
The bulbs also contain alkaloids. Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Nerium oleander [Apocynaceae] (oleander).
Ingestion of a single leaf can be fatal to an adult, usually within the space of one day.
The plant contains the cardiac glycosides oleandrin and nerioside (which produces physiological effects similar to those of digitalis).
Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, bloody diarrhea, dizziness, slowed pulse rate, cold extremities, irregular heartbeat,
dilated pupils, drowsiness, unconsciousness, lung paralysis, convulsions, coma, and death.

Papaver somniferum [Papaveraceae] (common poppy).
It is not legal to cultivate the opium poppy, so it should not be confused with a garden poppy.
The poison is in the morphine and other plant alkaloids found in the dried milky sap and fruits (not the seeds like those used on top of breads).
Symptoms of poisoning include shallow and slow breathing, stupor, respiratory distress, circulatory depression, coma, and death.

Philodendron scandens [Araceae] (heartleaf philodendron).
The leaves contain raphides (needle-like, water insoluble crystals which cause painful itching), which contain calcium oxalate (a salt or ester of poisonous oxalic acid) in addition to irritant proteins.
Symptoms of poisoning on contact with the mouth include pain and burning of the lips, mouth, and tongue, and on ingestion, pain and burning of the throat.
Contact with the plant juices can result in dermatitis.

Phoradendron species [Viscaceae, Santalaceae] (mistletoe).
The berries are the most toxic.
They contain the amines beta-phenylethylamine and tyramine which can be fatal within a few hours.
Symptoms of poisoning include stomach and intestinal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, delirium, convulsions, slow pulse, collapse, heart failure, and death.

Prunus caroliniana [Rosaceae] (laurel cherry, Carolina cherry).
This is an ornamental plant found in the southwest of the United States.
The seeds and leaves contain the cyanogenic glycoside amygdalin, which breaks down into the toxic hydrocyanic (prussic) acid (cyanide) when hydrolyzed.
The seeds are the most toxic.
Symptoms of poisoning include dizziness, spasms, stupor, twitching, paralysis of the l cords, convulsions, coma, and sometimes death.

Ricinus communis [Euphorbiaceae] (castor bean).
The entire plant is toxic owing to the phytotoxin ricin.
The seeds are especially toxic.
Ingesting only 2-8 can be fatal to an adult in one to twelve days.
Symptoms of poisoning include burning of the mouth, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, bloody diarrhea, excessive thirst, prostration, dullness of vision, convulsions, kidney failure, circulatory collapse, and death.

Solanum nigrum [Solanaceae] (black nightshade).
The unripe berries contain glyco-alkaloid solanine.
Even a small amount can be fatal.
Symptoms of poisoning include headache, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, dilated pupils, below normal body temperature, shock, circulatory and respiratory depression, loss of sensation, paralysis, and death.

Solanum tuberosum [Solanaceae] (potato).
The tubers themselves contain solanine, which affects the nervous system.
It is most concentrated in the layer next to the skin, particularly in green skin areas, and also in the "eye" or sprouts.
Ingestion of solanine can be fatal.

Sophora secundiflora, Sophora spp. [Fabaceae] (mescal bean).
The seeds are most toxic and contain cytisine and other poisonous alkaloids.
The seeds have to be crushed or chewed to be poisonous.
A single seed chewed by a child can be fatal.
Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, excitement, delirium, hallucinations, coma, and death.

Spathiphyllum spp. [Araceae] (peace lily, white anthurium).
All parts of the plant contain water insoluble raphides of calcium oxalate.
Contact with the mouth results in burning, irritation, and swelling of the lips, mouth, tongue, and pharynx. Ingestion causes gastroenteritis.
Root juices can cause contact dermatitis.

Strychnos nux vomica, Strychnos spp. [Loganiaceae] (poison nut).
This tree from India is the primary commercial source of strychnine, which is found mainly in the bark and seeds.
It has a very bitter taste due to the monoacid base causing an alkaline reaction.
It rapidly enters the bloodstream where it then acts on the central nervous system.
Symptoms of poisoning occur within 15-20 minutes and include stiffness at the back of the neck, muscle twitching,
a feeling of impending suffocation, whole body convulsions alternating with relaxation periods, and death.

Thevetia peruviana [Apocynaceae] (yellow oleander).
The fruit is the most toxic.
It contains the toxic cardiac glycosides thevetin and peruvoside, and it has effects similar to those of digitalis.
A single fruit can be fatal to an adult.
Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dilated pupils, drowsiness, irregular pulse and heartbeat, high blood pressure, convulsions, heart failure, and death.

Zantedeschia spp. [Araceae] (calla lily).
The leaves contain raphides of calcium oxalate.
When ingested, these cause burning in the mouth and lips, sometimes with inflammation and swelling.

Zigadenus paniculatus [Liliaceae] (deathcamas).
The bulbs contain the toxins and can be fatal.
They are often mistaken for wild onion or garlic.

Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) leaves contain Oxalic Acid /Oxalic Carbonate When ingested, these cause burning in the mouth and lips, sometimes with inflammation and swelling.

Bryant RedHawk wrote:

Astragalus spp. [Leguminosae] (locoweed).
Contains alkaloids that are toxic.
There are hundreds of species, all toxic, even when they are dried out.

Except maybe Astragalus crassicarpus, Ground Plum

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Astragalus+crassicarpus

Astragalus crassicarpus
Many members of this genus contain toxic glycosides.

All species with edible seedpods can be distinguished by their fleshy round or oval seedpod that looks somewhat like a greengage.

A number of species can also accumulate toxic levels of selenium when grown in soils that are relatively rich in that element

Your list said

Astragalus spp. ...
There are hundreds of species, all toxic,

I interpreted that to mean that all the hundreds of species of Astragalus are toxic.

Yes, there are hundreds of species of astragalus, and there are some that perfectly fine for eating, but you need to know what you have first.
I just put up what the USDA says about this genus.

we all probably eat potatoes, which do have a toxin. But, as long as we don't eat potatoes that are "GREEN" in color we won't have any problems.

Most people would freak out if they actually studied toxicology, it is very much like those who study Psychology,
in the beginning students think they have most of the symptoms they are beginning to learn about,
only later down the course line do they gather enough understanding to realize they aren't "crazy".

Assumptions usually are not a good way to gain understanding or knowledge.

Just because research finds compounds that are toxic does not automatically exclude all the species of a genus from the ability to be consumed.
PUFFER FISH are toxic, but the Japanese have found a way to eat them.

If a poisonous plant/weed is used to make a plant tea for the edible garden plants, can poisons in any way accumulate in the fruit or vegetable the plant produces?

The short sweet answer is Yes they can. However, the act of making teas usually includes items that can reduce or eliminate the toxins.

Most toxins are soluble in water, this makes it really hard to not have them dissolve into the tea.

Most toxins degrade (break down) with heat, so if you cooked the suspected plant material, you would most likely negate the toxin effect.

Just be aware of what you are using to make you teas, and treat the ingredients appropriately if they contain (or might contain) toxins.

Addendum: when you use a tea for watering the soil, the probability of toxin uptake is reduced when compared to foliar feeding plants.
The soil can act as a filter and if you have mushroom spawn in your soil the hyphae will act as filters, trapping many known toxins, a great reason to move towards myco-remediation techniques.
Foliar feeding is a direct uptake method of adding nutrients to plants, this allows any toxins to be taken into the plant and so get into the produce faster than with in soil nutrient supplementation.

For an example, I used to grow show roses, I regularly used a tea that contained several ingredients that were toxin bearers, since these were roses that would not be eaten, no worries.

I used the same tea on my tomatoes and squashes, but I heated the tea to a boil then simmered it for 15 minutes. Then I let it cool back to ambient temperature before dilution and application.
I never had any problems with produce I subjected to chemical analysis when I did this method.
I also did a control set of tests, and the quantities of toxins were close to nil, but I prefer to err on the side of extreme safety so I always did the boil and simmer for vegetable application of this tea.

Thank you Bryant. Good information.

Most oh these plants seem to have no other edible uses whatsoever.
For me that makes them doubly unwelcome. Even something like pokeweed is not worth having around in my opinion.
Given the number of plants that have edible greens as well as edible roots and sometimes even edible fruits or seed pods it makes it hard to justify plants that are poisonous. The nightshades are worth it but I'm not certain what is.

just to be on the safe side

I'll stick with bacon and eggs

Some toxic plants such as cassava were apparently domesticated because they wouldn't get eaten by varmints. Humans learned how to de-toxify them (think how smart those folks were!) to be a source of calories.

The raw food crowd seem like they would be much more likely to accidentally poison themselves. The treatment for edible poisonous plants, seems to mostly involve soaking and cooking, then discarding the cooking water.

And many plants that are fine for humans are toxic to animals: For example enough onions and garlic can cause red blood cells to break down in dogs and cats, grapes can cause kidney failure in dogs.

The ASPCA has a list of plants toxic to dogs/cats/horses: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

It's pretty close to comprehensive. Off hand I'm not sure of one available for livestock or birds.

One other thing to consider. Why many compounds are toxic the DOSE to toxicity needs to be investigated and questioned. Comfry, for instance, has been determined to be toxic because it was fed to 6 month old rats as 30% of their diet for a long term. Well SOME of the baby rats got SOME lesions on their liver. So, in our herbal practice we do not do that. We also do not give it to pregnant ladies. We are very careful with small children just to be careful. We have never had an issue with adults.

INTERPRET the data, don't just follow blindly.

If I ever need to poison somebody, I will get back to this list

Galanthus nivalis [Amaryllidaceae] (snowdrop).
The bulb contains lycorine which affects the heart and nervous system.
Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

I ate some bulbs when I was a child and it didn't cause any harm.

Malus sylvestris [Rosaceae] (apple).
The seeds contain prussic acid (cyanide).
A single cup of seeds is sufficient to be fatal.
Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, muscle tremors, difficulty breathing, bluish skin, convulsing, general paralysis and, in severe cases, death.

Given the taste of apple seeds, eating a cup of the appears to be not extremely likely.

On the other hand, I avoid potatoes, tomatoes and other night shades.

some of these are also used medically. Colchicine is still used to treat gout and pericarditis.

As an aside, I used to pick potatoes as a kid and my favorite snack were the small, bright green potatoes..we did not know that they were poisonous..never got even a tummy ache.

EXCELLENT ARTICLE,/POST. Thank you

Very useful and comprehensive list, thank you. I never knew Monstera Cheese Plant was poisonous!

Another thing to think of when growing your own food, that I only found out recently, is that some plants just suck up toxins. For improving the soil this is a great feature, but if you are going to eat the plants, you must be sure to grow them in soil that has no toxins in it.

Sunflowers and Tomatos are two of the best toxin suckers.

So if you need to remove toxins from the soil, you can grow tomatos or sunflowers on the soil, then destroy the plants. But if you are eating lots of homegrown tomatos make sure to grow them in good soil!

Dose makes the poison.  I always assume that all plants have poisons in them....not sure they could survive in this world of eaters without them.  As permies we know of 100s of edible plant options.  This gives us the benefit of being able to have a VERY diverse diet from our edible landscapes.  Unless the plant has a strong tradition of being eaten in mass, I like enjoying all my edible plants in moderation.

Astragalus is a revered ancient Chinese medicine. Autumn crocus is a revered herb and medicine.  Many of these are foods if prepared properly. Apples are one of the most important foods in temperate climates,and don't have to be prepared.  How we eat is a crucial part of human culture.
John S
PDX OR

Indeed John, take olives for an example, for quite a while they were only used for pressing oil because they were so terribly bitter (most bitterness is an indicator of toxic compounds) then some bloke found some olives bobbing in the ocean and ate them.
They were good because they had been brined.  Poke weed is a wonderful tasting green that is not difficult to prepare, just time consuming because you have to boil the young leaves through three changes of water to get all the toxins out, the end result is quite tasty.

If you practice the "All Things In Moderation" mantra, then you will never need to worry unless you didn't prepare the food correctly.

The green potatoes are those that have been exposed to the sun while on the stem, usually these are going to be the larger ones that stuck out or where the hilling eroded away exposing the potato.
(there is a potato that has a green cast to the skin, similar to the Yukon gold's yellow skin or the purple potato, the green potato has a green tint fleshy part to go with the skin)

If the potato is fully covered so the sun can't shine on it, then it isn't really a green potato in the sense I was talking about.

The Chinese have, over the past 4 thousand years, developed many herbal remedies, healing teas and they have worked well for thousands of years, if they didn't we wouldn't still see them in use.
I use Chinese herbs, and grow as many as I can for our medicine chest of herbal remedies.

Technically the sharp tipped calcium oxylate rhaphides found in the vacuoles of cells of plants in the aroid family aren't a toxin.  They cause irritation by mechanically penetrating the lining of the mouth, acting like a microscopic version of the glochids found on many cacti. Millions of tiny spears penetrating the lining of the mouth.

William Bronson wrote: Most oh these plants seem to have no other edible uses whatsoever.
For me that makes them doubly unwelcome. Even something like pokeweed is not worth having around in my opinion.
Given the number of plants that have edible greens as well as edible roots and sometimes even edible fruits or seed pods it makes it hard to justify plants that are poisonous. The nightshades are worth it but I'm not certain what is.

I'll quote Shakespeare: There's naught so vile that on the earth doth live, but to the earth some special good doth give / Nor aught so good but strained from that fair use, revolts from true birth, stumbling on abuse.

Mike Turner wrote:Technically the sharp tipped calcium oxylate rhaphides found in the vacuoles of cells of plants in the aroid family aren't a toxin.  They cause irritation by mechanically penetrating the lining of the mouth, acting like a microscopic version of the glochids found on many cacti. Millions of tiny spears penetrating the lining of the mouth.

While the calcium oxylate rhaphides are not toxic, the plants do contain toxic sap. Dieffenbachia, the dumb-cane is the species I listed. *This plant has thick, fleshy canes with large leaves clasping to the upper portion.  The plant has a poisonous sap which can paralyze the tongue and throat if ingested.

*From Texas A&M Horticulture Department

The issue with these plants in particular is that the rhaphides provide the mechanical means to open the skin in the mouth thus allowing the toxic sap to enter the body and possibly directly into the blood stream (via capillaries in the mouth lining), thus there is a possibility of throat constriction and choking.

One I didn't see mentioned--but I'm really proactive about because it grows as a weed here, and my daughter puts things in her mouth--is foxglove ( Digitalis purpurea)



Foxglove is so toxic that just a nibble can kill you, and there's reports of people having heart problems from just touching it.


I also watch out for bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) and creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens), both of which are toxic.

Good catch Kola, I didn't realize I had not included those two.

poison ivy--toxic if ingested or if you have enough of the oils on your hands and then eat something without washing your hands.  I've always heard it's fatal.  gives you  a nasty rash if you just get it on skin (but some people are immune)

cashews (related to poison ivy) have a toxin in the shell that has to be removed before you can eat it, requring a veyr careful process

what's the name of that giant plant that burns you severely if you even touch it, and grows about 10-15 feet tall? it's up in Canada?  that's a good one to know about.  It looks a little like Queen Anne's Lace, but it's bigger.

I've read elsewhere on this site the berries of "deadly nightshade" aren't deadly at all...?

It would be nice to have a risk rating for various permaculture endeavors--fire (rocket mass heaters, etc.), shelter (possiblity of building collapse or suffocation), growies, animals, etc.  So someone starting out modifying one area of their life could pick one with less risk of dying/serious injury, even if it's not the flashiest thing to focus on first.

Joshua Myrvaagnes wrote:

what's the name of that giant plant that burns you severely if you even touch it, and grows about 10-15 feet tall? it's up in Canada?  that's a good one to know about.  It looks a little like Queen Anne's Lace, but it's bigger.

That'll be Giant Hogweed Heracleum mantegazzianum.  Many members of that family are poisonous or hazardous, and some people who are more sensitive than others will get a skin reaction even from common hogweed, but Giant is the really nasty one.  It's an offence to cause it to grow in the wild here.

Thank you!  yep that's the one.  I wonder why such a thing exists!

Deadly Nightshade is Belladonna, there are documented cases of berry poisoning and this was one of the favorite poisons from antiquity through world war II. Probably still is in some parts of the world.
All parts of the plant contain the alkaloids, the only people I've ever known to try it, ended up in hospital for quite a while.
There is no "safe" part of the plant and that means it isn't worth trying to experience the "high" of belladonna in my book.

Joshua Myrvaagnes wrote:
I've read elsewhere on this site the berries of "deadly nightshade" aren't deadly at all...?

I think what you are referring to are the black berried edible nightshades. Green Deane of eat the weeds, has a good article on these here. http://www.eattheweeds.com/american-nightshade-a-much-maligned-edible/ He describes Europeans mislableing them as toxic.

Again, these are the black berried nightshades, that change from green to purple/black when ripe, and edible. NOT belladonna, who has a different stem structure =TOXIC, as Redhawk has explained.

Thanks, Joylynn.  That clears it up.  WHen I was little my mom told me that the thing with purple-black berries in (Massachusetts) was poisonous and I think she called it "deadly nightshade" (atropa belladona in the solanacaea family) but it is probably a black nightshade (solonum nigra in the same family)--maybe poisonous, maybe a non-poisonous type, but certainly not the same plant as belladonna.  I would imagine it's still poisonous to eat the leaves or mildly irritating if I touched the leaves or stem and then ate food without washing my hands.  

By the way one thing I read about giant hogweed is speculation that it makes the photo-poison to fight a fungus.  There are also lot sof people saying they played with it all the time as a kid and it never bothered them.  I'm going to stay on the safe side, but go figure.

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:

Joshua Myrvaagnes wrote:
I've read elsewhere on this site the berries of "deadly nightshade" aren't deadly at all...?

I think what you are referring to are the black berried edible nightshades. Green Deane of eat the weeds, has a good article on these here. http://www.eattheweeds.com/american-nightshade-a-much-maligned-edible/ He describes Europeans mislableing them as toxic.

Again, these are the black berried nightshades, that change from green to purple/black when ripe, and edible. NOT belladonna, who has a different stem structure =TOXIC, as Redhawk has explained.

Euphorbia spp. [Euphorbiaceae] (euphorbia).
There are over 1,500 species.
Most of them produce a milky latex that contains complex terpenes (unsaturated hydrocarbons).
Contact with the latex causes dermatitis, inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea, and gastritis.
Poinsettias do not contain the toxic terpenes common to other species.

I have euphorbia peplus, a little spurge that is devastating for rabbits and cuys!
They eat it, and die within a day.

Due to the size of the animal, I have tried to eat the dead animal, found recently dead.
But then you would have to think about accumulation, and the toxic burden on the liver!

Nethertheless, I would appreciate to know more about poisonning through animals who ate poisonnous plants...

Bryant RedHawk wrote:
Euphorbia spp. [Euphorbiaceae] (euphorbia).
There are over 1,500 species.
Most of them produce a milky latex that contains complex terpenes (unsaturated hydrocarbons).
Contact with the latex causes dermatitis, inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea, and gastritis.
Poinsettias do not contain the toxic terpenes common to other species.

I believe Euphorbia Prostrata has caused me to blister. Can it spread without sap? Do you know of treatments?

The Narrative: Euphorbia plants are common in my area (east-central Texas). I believe this same rash/blistering happened, as a child, after playing soccer during recess in elementary school. It covered both legs, and I was lucky to have healed during Thanksgiving break. That occurrence's doctor's records can't be found. I believe other (minor) occurrences popped up later in life. The most significant were while my men's soccer league team was practicing on a school's field in Houston. I attributed these occurrences to imbalances in my body and heat/sweat - as did physicians and dermatologists.

Nutmeg, the baking spice is hallucinogenic, a tablespoon can cause LSD type effects with a very hairy down slope and sweating. (Can’t remember where I read it).  Just use the small amounts as usual. Dose always matters.

Ergotamine poisoning comes from the fungus on improperly stored rye grain. It has been speculated as to what started the ‘fits ‘ and hallucinations the girls had, and this led to the Salem, Mass, witch trials.

Cady,
New England

Also, LIMA BEANS. They have a lot of cyanide when raw or undercooked.  Cook 15min of boiling with lid partly ajar. This removes it. Even frozen beans need it. Kidney beans are similarly toxic if raw, not sure by what,,and you have details above. I think I would avoid raw legumes except peas at this point.
Cady

I gave a lady some lupine seeds as we walked through my food forest.  Later I heard that she and some friends were eating salads and put them on their salads!!!  I believe they're toxic and that was a risky behavior.

Mike Haasl wrote:I gave a lady some lupine seeds as we walked through my food forest.  Later I heard that she and some friends were eating salads and put them on their salads!!!  I believe they're toxic and that was a risky behavior.

Cooked lupine seeds (of the alba variety) have a long history as a (healthy and cheap!) snack in Portugal and are used more and more for vegan products.
Not sure if the link works, the seeds look like this:
https://www.amazon.de/Portugiesische-Lupinen-Tremo%C3%A7o-Bohnen-Verpackt/dp/B0046QPBPS

Maybe that lady cooked them?

There are so many Venomous Animals & Poisonus Plants, I will never remember them all.
That why when I taught Poisonous plant for BSA in South Carolina, I got Peterson Field Guides "Venomous Animals & Poisonous plants."
I have a list of edable flowers also, knowing what to eat raw & what must be cooked & how to prepare it, is as important as what not to eat.
The main reason for the class was to teach persons who would be in the woods, what would kill them & what was safe to eat.
But today we have to worry about our pets/animals also.
I like your list, Thanks.