Water lilies are a species of freshwater plants with over 50 species growing in tropical and temperate climates. Lily toxicity is a significant concern, as it can lead to various degrees of toxicity in humans, including gastrointestinal distress, vomiting, lethargy, and other symptoms. Some lily species, such as Crinum lily, calla lily, Lilium family plants, lily of the valley, and belladonna lily, are highly toxic to cats, which can cause acute renal failure.
Lily poisoning, also known as lily toxicosis, can occur when a cat ingests any part of a lily plant. If you suspect your cat has ingested any part of a lily plant, seek veterinary care immediately. Treatment may include avoiding the “true lily” and “daylily” families, which are very dangerous for cats.
All parts of the plant are toxic, and small amounts can cause severe injury to cats. European species contain large amounts of nupharin and are considered inedible. American White Waterlily is not toxic to humans but may upset stomachs; no medical emergency if ingested.
Lily of the valley contains over 30 cardiac glycosides that inhibit the heart’s pumping. The leaves are particularly notorious for causing skin contact irritation, especially if handled without care. The flowers pose their own risks.
Fragrant water lilies are a non-native, invasive Class C noxious weed introduced into Cottage Lake by homeowners as an ornamental plant. Any amount of lily ingestion can lead to kidney failure, which is a life-threatening condition. Although not poisonous, the rhizomes (root system) of water lilies are edible and can absorb heavy, poisonous metals through their leaves and roots.
📹 The Top 10 Deadliest Plants (They Can Kill You!)
Some plants and flowers can be beautiful, but also extremely deadly. Join SciShow’s Michael Aranda for a look into the top 10 …
Can lilies make you sick?
Cala lilies, peace lilies, and Peruvian lilies are toxic to humans and animals alike, although the effects are less severe than those of other lilies. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, and drooling. It is advisable to seek veterinary advice in the event that pets have access to these lilies. Alternatives to lilies that are safe for pets include roses, gerbera daisies, orchids, sunflowers, zinnias, marigolds, and aster. Should any queries arise regarding the safety of a given plant, it is recommended that you consult with a qualified veterinary professional.
Can lilies make me sick?
Cala lilies, peace lilies, and Peruvian lilies are toxic, though the effects are less severe than those of other lilies. They cause vomiting, diarrhea, and drooling. It is advisable to seek veterinary advice in the event that pets have access to these lilies. Alternatives that are safe for pets include roses, gerbera daisies, orchids, sunflowers, zinnias, marigolds, and aster. Should any queries arise regarding the safety of a given plant, it is recommended that you consult with a qualified veterinary professional.
What is the survival rate for lily poisoning?
Lilies are toxic plants, with flowers being the most toxic part. Minor exposure can cause acute kidney failure within 12-36 hours and death within 3-5 days. Ingestion can result in death within a few hours, with symptoms including vomiting, lethargy, anorexia, depression, drooling, stumbling, collapse, seizures, crying, urinary incontinence, or complete lack of urination. Mortality is between 50-100, and early, aggressive intervention results in a 90 survival rate.
During the romantic flower-giving season, cats should avoid lilies. Hobbes, a cat, was placed on peritoneal dialysis and medications to protect his kidneys, nervous system, and gastrointestinal tract. His blood pressure was monitored, and medications were adjusted as needed. After 12 hours of being in a medically-induced coma, Hobbes was allowed to slowly wake up and was placed on a special kidney diet and medications. At his two-week recheck, his kidney values were normal. Hobbes was the ring-bearer at his parents’ wedding one year later and continues to thrive today.
Are water lilies good or bad?
Water lilies provide habitat for game fish, young fish, and reduce algae blooms by blocking sunlight. However, unmanaged lilies can have detrimental effects, reducing oxygen exchange at the water surface, which is essential for aquatic life. They also attract mosquitoes and aphids. If pond or lake owners want the benefits of lily pads without the maintenance, artificial water lilies can be installed to replace live aquatic plants. A pond rake or cutter can be used for lily pad removal, as lilies grow from rooted rhizomes in the pond bottom soil, which produce new shoots if left in the pond.
What are the early signs of lily toxicity?
Lily toxicity in cats can cause decreased activity, drooling, vomiting, and loss of appetite, which can start 0 to 12 hours after ingestion. Kidney damage can occur 12 to 24 hours after ingestion, leading to kidney failure within 24 to 72 hours. If treatment is delayed by 18 hours or more, the cat may experience irreversible kidney failure. The most dangerous lilies for cats include lily plants, which are highly toxic and pose a high risk of death if ingested. Therefore, it is best not to bring these plants into your home or garden if your cat goes outside or if your neighbors have outdoor cats.
What do humans use water lilies for?
The American white water lily, a plant found in ponds, lakes, and streams, is used for medicine. Its bulb and root are used to treat diarrhea, vaginal conditions, throat and mouth diseases, burns, and boils. However, there is no strong scientific evidence supporting these uses. The plant contains tannins, which may help reduce inflammation and potentially kill some germs, potentially treating diarrhea by reducing swelling.
What is the most toxic plant to humans?
The oleander, also known as Nerium oleander, is a poisonous plant with various types, including oleandrin and neriine, which can cause severe heart damage. However, despite its deadly reputation, the oleander is often planted for decorative purposes. Originally native to the Far East and Mediterranean, it has been introduced to the United States, where it grows easily and is tolerant of poor soil and dry weather. The plant grows as a dense shrub, typically 6 to 18 feet tall, with thick, dark green leaves and clusters of yellow, red, pink, or white flowers.
The oleander produces lovely flowers and fragrance, making it ideal for highway barriers, noise and pollution screening areas, and construction zones to prevent erosion. Despite its dangers, the oleander’s attractiveness and adaptability make it a popular choice for various purposes.
Is water lily safe to eat?
The water lily comprises a variety of edible components, including flowers, seeds, roots, and young leaves. These can be consumed in either a raw or cooked state. To prepare the rhizomes, the corky rind should be removed, and the resulting material may be consumed raw or sliced thinly and allowed to dry before being ground into flour.
What are the benefits of eating water lilies?
Water lilies and lotus have been found to have numerous health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, hepato-protective, anti-hyperglycaemic, anti-hyperlipidaemic, and anticancer properties. These plants could be commercially cultivated, harvested, and processed to feed the growing human population. The study highlights the potential for commercial cultivation and processing of water lilies and lotus, ensuring their continued use and benefits.
Are lilies toxic to humans if ingested?
Lilies, although not generally considered ‘lilies’, are dangerously toxic to people and pets. Crinum lilies, such as Queen Emma and Crinum asiaticum, are common in landscapes due to their mild fragrance. Other toxic Crinums include milk-and-wine and the red-flowered Ellen Bosanquet. Other pseudo-lilies include peace and calla lilies, which cause mild intestinal distress. Daylilies can kill cats but not humans, while blood lily, Barbados lily, rain lily, gloriosa lily, spider lily, and Amazon lily can cause severe gastric symptoms in humans. Garden amaryllis, although not generally referred to as ‘lilies’, are extremely toxic to people and pets, causing tremors, drooling, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Are water lilies poisonous to humans?
The American White Waterlily, a harmless plant, is often mistaken for its more dangerous counterparts, the White Blood Lily. Scientific studies have confirmed its health, aligning it with other harmless plants like the Canna Lily. However, allergies and sensitive skin are the main concerns. If a curious child or uninformed adult eats a waterlily, they should not expect a medical emergency. They might experience a tummy upset, but may also experience nausea or discomfort. If symptoms worsen or persist, it is essential to consult a healthcare provider. Be cautious with this plant, even if it seems innocent.
📹 Most Dangerous And Toxic Plant. Symptoms, Suffering, Remedy?
Water hemlock is even more troubling that its relative hemlock. Through the years people have accidentally eaten it because it …
This is so frightening. I used to pull up queen Ann’s lace all the time. For bouquet or just to play with it. I didn’t know of poison hemlock. A month or so ago a post on FB popped up in a gardening group about a young girl and her encounter ( just touching the plant!!!) with poison hemlock. She swelled up in hives and went into anaphylaxis and the poor young child almost died. She survived but the pictures of her where terrible. So thank you for making this article. People have to know how to spot poison plants even though they may think it is a common weed!
When I was younger I used it as a straw. What happened is my heartbeat went over 300 according to the EMT sitting in the back of the ambulance with me. My chest started hurting. I told him and he looked very worried and said you don’t want to have a heart attack until we get you to the hospital. I said man, I’m trying. Now mind you all I did is make a straw out of it and pretend I was sipping through it. Basically touched it to my lips. And handled it. Almost killed me.
When hunting for native plants around a local pond, i looked up the most toxic plants beforehand to ID them. There is water hemlock in areas so i knew about it. It’s a town pond with a walking trail and people fish there. I feel obligated to report this to the parks department to protect unsuspecting people. They should also post laminated charts of toxic plants so people can be educated. Many have their children with them. When i was a child I played in woods and fields before the housing developments and always picked something flowering to bring to my mother. I never thought anything to be so painfully crippling and fatal back then. This article made me so much more aware.
Poison Hemlock. Story of hiker, in shorts & boots hiking thru mountainous region. Walked through a large area covered in this plant. Became neuro toxic & died alone, because of contact with leaves against his legs. Death determined by secondary toxicology. Plant poison was not addressed in 1st toxicology. Died so quickly that his lunch was undigested. He was a seasoned hiker.
I often carry activated charcoal and have used it for about 30 years. As a poultice it works great for any stings or bites from insects. For internal purposes, I find ginger ale best to mixt the powder for drinking. Caution, charcoal will stain clothing and carpets. On day adventures there have been times when I didn’t have any with me and someone got stung by a bee. I made a fire to intentionally make charcoal, mashed it up and added water to make a poultice then applied it to the sting site. It removed the poison for about 15 minutes, then clean the poultice off and apply a new fresh one. It pulls the poison from the bee sting.
Just today, I saw what I thought was queen anne’s lace growing in my garden bed. It had been there for a while and looked like it was making seeds. I pulled it. Nope it was an actual carrot, and I really hope the seeds are developed enough. I hung it to dry, so hopefully that will save the seeds. At least I knew it wasn’t hemlock! Having seen a couple articles on the stuff, I think I can tell the difference now.
I have always traveled a lot and love the herbal world. I appreciate this reminder because I was checking out some last fall and cut the flowers for a vase. I couldn’t remember what it was called, and I did get a slight rash on my fingers. I ALWAYS keep Activated Charcoal in my medicine chest and especially travel gear; always. Bentonite clay is also a good detox. A tip is that the activated charcoal can be a little hard on one’s constitution, so I always follow it up with Yakult (or yogurt) to replace the good gut stuff. Activated charcoal is amazingly fast and effective. Great content. New subbie!
Fantastic post young man THANK4SGIVING The active charcoal is a great choice, but redundancy is crucial in life threatening situations. I would also take grandmas old fashioned remedy Caster Oil, and induce vomiting. Dump all the content of the stomach, and both intestines, then drink as much distilled water as possible. ( I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice only a precaution.) Being hospitals are places I avoid like the plague, I choose not to support the medical drug cartels.
I subscribed after perusal your article on 11 survival crops and then while perusal this one’s opening, I thought, “wow, he really talks like Chad Kreuzer” and low and behold!! You’ve created a great website and glad I ran across it, I’m glad you’re doing well and have moved to the country! Blessings!
The difficulty in identifying plants for me, is the abundant use of names for the same plant. I also find most ID sources focus on the flower not the stems & leaves. I have a plant in the Umbelliferae / Apiaceae family which is still unknown to me, I have pulled it bare handed it’s not toxic topically, it is though, very invasive it takes over my red bergamot if allowed, unlike the Monarda which attracts Humming Birds & butterflies, this plant attracts flies. Your article is helpful in identifying Water Hemlock, thank you.
I just discovered wild carrot (ID’d from Picture This app) but it happens to be growing near Poison Hemlock, tall stiff stems, which I ID’d the same way. Different pictures of the wild carrot and it confirms wild carrot, but I did not know to check the stem. I didn’t know what to do about the poison hemlock, it was literally 4 feet tall and really pretty blooms, but when I was down there yesterday, it’s growing along the roadside in the country it was all dead and I wondered if maybe the county road people sprayed it or I couldn’t understand it l, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it because it’s poisonous. I didn’t wanna be handling it but I wanted to get rid of it. So I’m just very fortunate I happen to see this article and thanks so much! Also would love to know what editing program you use because I love your graphics. Subbed and 👍🏻
I’m a ginger. We have very sensitive skin. I also grew up playing in the woods, hunting, camping, ect. Skin irritation was just part of it. (My grandmother used to put me in a bath of oatmeal, or bleach, lol) Anyway, I just recently bush hogged her property, and there is wild onion, wild garlic, and a bunch of hemlock. Just pretty much mowing the grass (4 ft tall) was terrible. She sold her old tractor that was an old row crop tractor, and got one of those little compact tractors. So, I was right in there with the stuff.
Being from a huge congested city and moving to the country, I heard this was poison so before I decided to ever touch it I decided to leave it, I have a whole lot to learn about safe wild edibles, thank you for this article it really cleared up my question on this plant, it’s growing absolutely all over my property, any idea how to get rid of this or at least cut it back with out poisoning my yard?
Well I have learned something new today,thankyou. This also grows in England. I wonder why we dont hear much about this,also are people’s immune systems getting weaker??.. I have been around this stuff,as a kid,and I don’t remember getting affected. I just done a quick Google search. I am shocked. Right i am going to pick my jaw up off the floor & carry on perusal.. Thanks for educating us,appreciate it. Stay safe out there & have a blessed day,xx
Thank you for making this article there eh! I’m in New Brunswick Canada a few years ago gotten a bad burn from wild parsnip… had no idea cut some with a wipper snipper got some juice on my foot then sat in the sun on the deck with my wife for a bit, with in a couple days sever burns and blisters, when to work the next day started reacting I thought I had gotten a chemical burn with caustic or acid is how bad it was…unfortunately I have all over my yard
How horrible!! Thank you for posting this. I learned so much. Back in the 70’s, I used to use Queen of The Meadow, or Wild Carrot, for kidney infections; it worked really great, but then herbal stores stopped carrying itn and I moved to the desert. I guess maybe this is the reason it can no longer be found in stores; it’s too easily confused with these deadly look-alikes. I had no idea this could be found in every state. Good to know.
I used to be absolutely terrified of flowers with big white umbels. I never knew why. When my grandma saw me freaking out, she explained that what I was dealing with was wild carrot, and from then on I was less afraid. But I always wondered where the fear came from to begin with. Perhaps it was a sort of hemlock-phobia.
Thank you this clear and thorough PSA!!! I did touch a plant that looked like this prior to my breakout on my hands this year!!!!!!!!! I just got a article on YT about this a couple of days ago and am furious that PA has never told me about it in all my 45 years! Im constantly getting poison and no one seems to care to remove it from their property nor public lands even in the cityscape…
Thanks great info to know. Here in our area of West Texas, we have one bad plant called Death Cama. During it’s early growth, looks like a long green onion. The leaves are not round but v shaped and is quite toxic. Smells like and onion and i believe it has a bulb shaped root. I picked it once and brought it in then decided to look it up. Thank God I had an ounce of training to not sample before looking it up. Anyways, you might find a good article to do with this one. L8R
I remember a few years back I almost ended up a statistic by mistaking water hemlock with wild mint. They smell similar. In Colorado, mint can grow big, and grows generally in the same area as water hemlock. I harvested some leaves and dried it at home and was going to make a wild mint tea. My own laziness saved me as I pushed it off until the leaves became too dusty to make a tea.
This article is the epitome of why we should be taught these this gs in school or at home by parents. Schools are filling heads with nonsense today about how you fit into society. Society is collapsing if anyone took the time to pull their heads out of the sand to see they would know. Plants and animals, God given nature is what is truly important. Seek Jesus and grow food. God bless! 1st Rule of Foraging is to “Never put anything in your mouth that you don’t know what it is”
If you check your fields and you find water hemlock or poison hemlock is there how do you eradicate it? Do you simply pull it up and take the weed someplace where animals can’t get to it or do you have to dig it up extensively and burn it? Is it a plant that every bit of root left in the ground has the potential to become a new plant? Please advise us that is very important to know. Does it produce seeds that will lie dormant in the ground for years and later grow?
Thank you so much for pointing out this dangerous plant. I have shared this article with people I care about. I don’t know if I have encountered this plant before because it looks so harmless, who would pay it any attention! I have gotten rashes before and don’t know what I brushed up against. We have poison ivy in the area, which no matter how hard I try, I can’t distinguish it from other harmless weeds.
I am so happy I found this article! I have been wondering what the Queen Ann’s Lace look alike is called. I knew not to touch it, then I recalled that QAL has a circle in the middle of the flower. Water Hemlock looks so pretty and benign. Ha! This article may just have saved me from serious illness. Thank you! X 1000
I almost consumed this plant thinking it was a wild parsnip. I collected it with a friend in Big Sky Montana while practicing survival skills. Luckily I held off on eating it until i got back to my dorm (to clean it was muddy). When i gave it a nibble i did some of the edible test for wild plants and let it sit in my mouth to observe the feeling. It had a bit of spice to the flavor so I decided it wasn’t worth trying a wild parsnip of 2 bites at the risk it’s something dangerous. I still didn’t know it was water hemlock yet but i spit it out. The next day I got off work and there was a note on my door from my friend that said… “Don’t eat the wild parsnip. Death ☠” What’s worse is I had a reference book on edible plants BUT the poison plants were in a section further into the book lol.
Thanks so much for your articles! Always looking forward to your next one. As an note If you do consume Activated Charcoal please do be careful, call Poison Control Center / a Nurse Hotline if you can to be advised. Activated Charcoal will bind all reactive chemicals in your stomach not just poisons but medicine and nutrients as well. So ingesting can prevent you from receiving further Oral assistance and your proscribed medications. There is also a minor risk of it entering your lunges if you are vomiting have a mis-swollow or accidentally take a breath. Just make sure your remedy doesn’t end up killing you if your in a tight spot. As always just be educated AND trained on application of things you are using/putting in your body.
When I was very young, maybe 4 or 5, I remember this exact plant I tried to grab the stem and pick the white umbrella flowers…..the skin on my palm ripped off….it literally cut my hand from me grabbing it and pulling. The stem was hollow and woody and would not snap in half. As my hand slid up the stem trying to pull it, it stung and hurt. This memory is something Ive never forgotten, this article helped me identify what it was.
I posted on your last article on: “currents” and I thought this one would be about Hemlock. I forgot about Water Hemlock. The Hemlock in this area of Oklahoma, grows like a white carpet!!! It is spreading all over Texas, and Oklahoma. The ranchers can’t cut it back fast enough. If this was not You Tube, I would post some photos of 20 acres of nothing but, poison Hemlock. But, No photos allowed!!! (🦄 Here is a nice Unicorn!!! Isn’t that lovely…) Thank You, for your work and the tips on foraging for medicineal plants. I have a full set of “Roy Tory Peterson’s” field guides on almost everthing from plants, rocks, birds, snakes, etc. And it has two giant books of color plates. The collection was $4400.00 as they are all signed with signature cards. The field guides are soft leather and will fit in a small backpack. Peterson was trained by; “John J. Audubon.” I use the books for reference even though today, apps are available for matching any plant, rock, or tree with a simple cell phone photo. I would rather look them up in a book. I am old!!!👴 So, stay away from Hemlock, it is bad news!!! Brother James OSB
So I have a couple questions. Please and thank you. We have always had queen Ann’s leave growing in the high grass on edge of our yard. We often cut this grass when it’s a bit high for the chickens. Let it dry for winter. I went today on a scout and saw QAL…but then a little bit further I saw what looked like it but no hairy legs, however, it looked like a younger plant…that might grow some hair. Do the younger plants have the hairy legs too? Also the hemlock looked a bit purplely. Is that another indicator? And…if this stuff (hemlock) just as poisonous when dried out. Cause we handle the dry grass bare handed. Oops…another question…the roots of the QAL…carrots right? Can they be dehydrated and saved like any other vegetable. Thanks! Uh oh…one more. Does this also affect animals in the same way? We have a cat who catches mice and moles in the high weeds.
Poison hemlock grows literally everywhere here in SW Missouri and my yard, fence rows, ditches, the edges of fields, everywhere has this growing thickly. I haven’t looked closely to see if it’s water hemlock but MDC says we have it as well. I mow it, walk through it in shorts, barefoot, pull them up bare handed whenever the ground is soft enough (often they will break off in my hand),, and when I first moved to this property, not knowing what it was, I chewed a leaf to see how it tasted, but since it wasn’t tasty I just spit it out. I have never ever had any type of reaction from it. I’m not saying it’s not deadly poison, just that here it’s inescapable and no one yet has died from it. Very small towns here and farming area so we’d definitely know about it if it did happen. The ditches are often brushhogged a few times during the warm months, too.
These are popping up all over my garden and backyard….I’ve tried plant apps to identify as I was worried about giant hogweed. It was identified as wild carrot or this flower you speak of. Regardless I’m chopping all of them down today! We have 2 dogs who love to eat leaves and grass! I noticed my puppy going for one of these by my step this morning and this article popped up! I got her out of there before she could start chomping and now have my tools ready and fire to burn it! Thankyou!!!!
Great article! You should make a article on horse chestnuts, not nearly as deadly, but good lesson. I gathered several 5 gallon buckets of chestnuts from an abandoned homestead under this massive tree. I had never heard of horse chestnuts before. I then roasted some and tried them, to my shame I even gave one to my wife. They were incredibly bitter. Sensing something was wrong I did some research and found that they were a poison variety, call horse chestnut. Luckily for us, they tasted terrible. We ate so little there was no ill effects, but a great lesson in really knowing what you are doing before putting it in your mouth. On the good news side, they make a great laundry detergent that works well even in front load washers, though you have to refrigerate it so I recommend making only small batches. A single 5 gallon bucket would make over 6 months of laundry detergent at my usage levels.
An herbalist told me it was wild carrots. I ate an entire large plant. I quickly began seeing cross-eyed and blurry. My body felt like I was made of rubber. My hands and feet hurt as they contracted. My eye sockets hurt, as I began to become paralyzed. A friend helped me to walk to a water spigot which luckily wasn’t too far. We were in the middle of nowhere and my friend got spooked and left me for dead. I drank water for hours to flush out the poison before I was able to stand. I must have drank 3-4 gallons? Idk. After that my eyes hurt for a few days, and my feet and hands were sore and crampy for about 6 months. I’d stretch them daily to keep range of motion. True story and lived to tell it😅
I live in Northern Minnesota. Some years back i was running down a thicket on a small hill near a railroad. I had hit some plants that I didn’t recognize but didn’t think anything of it. When I got inside my legs started to get blisters and like straight up holes like acid had gotten on my legs it was nuts. I never was fully sure what I had touched. I thought maybe it was like hogweed or something similar? Anyone have any ideas?
I live in north Texas, and this grows in my back yard. I mow over it every week without a problem. At least, I don’t think there’s a problem. As a child I grew up in Eastern Pennsylvania, and I ate the seeds of the jimson weed plant fairly regularly. As I understand, these plants are fairly similar. Idk, maybe I built up a tolerance
As children we learned early on that Queen Anne’s lace is slap full of chiggers. We never went around it and wouldn’t even walk through it in a pasture or field. You won’t catch many Blue Ridge Mountain people fooling around with either “poison hemlock” or “wild carrot” (actually I’m not sure we have this hemlock stuff here). As for making a bouquet you’d only give that flower to someone you hated…no, on second thought you’d never ever pick it and no one would ever graciously recieve it. Them chiggers will bite and make you miserable with itchy red bumps for 4 or 5 days.
Very informative article. I don’t consume wild plants, except for wild fruits, and fiddleheads. My question is.. how do wild animals such as deer know to not eat it? Of course perhaps they do occasionally, if they did we would never know if they died. But interesting how their instinct might protect them.
Pick Queens Ann’s Lace for dying fabrics. Never knew the “harry leg” trick for telling the difference. I’ll remember that. I always just heard hemlock dies off earlier that Queens Ann’s Lace. I knew the flowers looked almost the same. Not dead yet, so I guess I was picking the right one. I would never eat it!
HUHHHH 🤔 So weird this came up in my suggested… I was only talking about the difference between Hemlock, Hogweed, and Cow Parsley (in the UK) 2 HOURS AGO 😳🤯 Have to say, even though you’re in the US you’re articles look very interesting and informative 🙌 SUBSCRIBED INSTANTLY 👍 Bell on for all notifications 🔔 Thank you Sir ❤️
Scary ! As a child I was allowed to wander freely about in fields and woods. I remember picking Queen Anne’s Lace so I could put them in glasses if water that had food coloring in it. The stem and flowers would take on the colors in the glasses of water. Thankfully I didn’t pick poisen or water hemlock. Thank you Lord for keeping me safe. Question.. can goats eat this stuff without harm ? Poisen I’ve doesn’t bother a goat…
Poison hemlock is a pretty rare wild plant in southern California. I’ve only seen it twice. It’s a tall plant, about seven feet tall with yellow, fennel-like flowers. Ironically, it’s in the same family as fennel, carrots, dill, carroway. While common wild fennel has a lacy, full look, poison hemlock has noticables tiers. I’d easily recognize it, if I spot it again.
active charcoal has a lot of small holes, and can absorb molecules and will not let go of the absorbed molecules, meantime, charcoal itself is an inert material, will not be digested by stomach acid or broken by intestine bacterial or digestion enzymes. as a result, taking active charcoal can remove toxin effectively.
There was a couple in the UK who harvested some water hemlock root by mistake and cooked it in a meal. Their neighbours called the police, because they could hear screams and sounds of extreme violence, as this couple proceeded to wreck their home. The root had turned them into violent lunatics! They survived their mistake, because, luckily for them, they had cooked the .root, which destroyed some of the worst poisons, but with significant bad after effects. It’s amazing, how many plants have developed extremely toxic poisons. In fact the most deadly plant on the planet, is the castor oil plant. Its poison, ricin, was used to kill a russian spy who defected to the UK, and it was contained in a capsule the size of a pinhead. .
Had to help my buddy who does landscape identify that he was using hemlock like hay just using gloves to remove it he ended up getting sick from the particles getting in his lungs i guess bottom line he pulled 2 out so be careful out there.. i use to weed eat a lot and in city areas and i used to get blisters from these all the time.
in german we call it bärenklau. about two weeks ago i was fishing onto a lokal lake. there where only a few of this plants and i dond touch them. but the wind was strong enouth to spred the pollen over the lake. fakt is, my whole body has brandmarks and im sitting 4 about two weeks at home and avoid the sun like a vampire.. these plants are more dangerous than i ever thougt.. sry 4 bad english. greez from german
This so reminds me of the sad account in the story INTO the Wild of the young man who died of this or similar toxic plant. Thank you for this warning about death in lack of information. Especially the activated charcoal cure as well. I am looking for antifungal plants and also plants that improve soils and help remove toxicity of petrocarbons around our shop. If anyone knows please inform thanks so much.
Another plant that on quick glance looks the same (just bigger!) is giant hogweed. It has naturalized through north america. In Canada I know it is mainly in Ontario. The sap causes photosensitive dermatitis that can scar for years, and can cause blindness anecdotally. Also, it does hairy stems, so don’t bank on that marking a plant as safe!
It grows in Europe too. In german language it’s called #schierling# growing on dry land and #Wasserschierling# growing in water. In ancient.times people were executed with it by forcing them to drink a liquid extract of the plant. An even more poisonous plant exists in Europe the s. c. #Eisenhut#, (aconitum) a beautifull bleu flower…
If you’re ever in a life-or-death situation where you’re forced to forage or die, even if you’re pretty sure the plant is edible, there are enough deadly lookalikes for most edible plants that you should test it by tucking it inside your lower lip, against your gum, for 30 minutes. If there was been no reaction after that, then you can risk consuming a small amount and waiting a few hours to make sure you got the right plant.
Good stuff, thx. Will you teach us about aerated static composting? How much easier it’s creation is compared to the old manual rotation methods. Please share why this Biodiverse Compost helps create resilient crops, according to Elain Engam Food Soil Web, founder. it’s worth looking into. Im a handyman with a leaf blower, a tarp and a garden hose. Making high value Biodiverse compost.
Most terrifying and creepy yet fascinating. Thanks for the info. Have come so damn close to picking this back in the ’70s just to look at & throw away. I too thought it was queen Ann’s lace, I probably pointed it out to a friend in error. So DAMn glad I never picked it. so Damn glad. The victims’ stories are scary enough to keep me from touching all kinds of stuff in the woods I would have nonchalantly grabbed 46 yrs. ago thinking I was safe. Ignorance is where we all started from. Knowledge is priceless.
Queen Anne’s Lace can look just like Hemlock, I’m sure that is NO big shock to most folks though. But, I have NO idea why ANYBODY would try to eat EITHER of the plants though. But, THIS article has said that LOOKALIKE “Wild carrot” is edible. Wow, a horrible experience for anybody who eats it. This article has ONLY mentioned the Hemlock plant, BUT, Digitalis (flower) is also known to cause heart problems, BUT, it is also a known heart treatment when it is used as a heart medication. Drug companies know how much to use to help TREAT heart problems. I am not so sure just HOW a person WOULD actually ingest it and have it cause them a heart attack or emergency heart issue. BUT, I suppose that maybe a person COULD pick a flower or TOUCH any part of the plant and end up with it being ingested, failing to wash their hands before touching their mouth or food. It can happen. I’ve heard of (and have 2 plants of) a plant called “Pulmonaria”. And, it may be TOTALLY harmless. BUT, I am kinda THINKING that IF it is used to treat any illness that MAYBE, in large amounts, it COULD cause harm. BUT, that just may be a bunch of CRAPOLA.
I learned first of all I want for my father difference between hemlock and carrot and yes, when they’re young, they can look a lot alike. If you look, the flowers are not alike, and I think it is more important that you showed the actual difference of the plant and not everybody has a reaction to touching the plants. I’m one of those people who don’t have a reaction, and again I also didn’t have a reaction as a child when I touched poison ivy don’t know why this things give me reactions to not that the fact is you go on and on about how poison hemlock has a water, hemlock ant frankly it overkill. Like I said, it would’ve been better if you would actually sound a physical difference, including how the roots look. I can tell you the roots between as you call it water, hemlock or hemlock in general basically and wild carrot or queen Ann’s lace are in fact leaves do you smell like carrot, which can be very deceiving, but they’re not on like it’s on level. I’m at the flower level and very different. Also transformation information that transformation. I’m using voice to text and is not writing things down the way, I wish it too, and I cannot fix it. On and on and on about how dangerous it is, and you tell the story you show clips of a kid in a bed, etc. is such a thing as overkill. Wanna show people that should be why not shoot people the actual physical difference by the way wild carrot is closer in appearance to fennel, wild fennel Grows wild here in the Middle East and I learned to tell the difference between it and wild 🥕 carrot and I talk my kids to I should say taught not talk I’m gonna finish that’s because I’m finding it very difficult to use voice to text right now.
Smell it before eating. I’ve found that poisonous plants have a bitter unpleasant smell that I find very off putting. Poke berry, poison hemlock, poison ivy, poison oak and mayapple all have that same smell. I think I’ve seen this plant too. Never was interested in eating it because of the way it smells. My mind says, “not food”. I listen to that voice. This plant has that bitter unpleasant smell, where wild carrots don’t. They smell like strong carrots. A good smell. My mind says: food. It’s mushrooms I’m a lot more cautious of. There is no good way to identify poisonous from edible.