Now that it is autumn, many places in the countryside have a lot of small fruits ripe, many children will pick these unknown small fruits and leaves at will to eat, in fact, this is not allowed, there are many plants we are accustomed to are actually highly toxic, not to mention some unknown.
A few days ago, I went to the hospital and saw a patient, inexplicably produced diarrhea and vomiting symptoms, the doctor did not know what the specific symptoms were, only to know that he accidentally ate wild fruits on the side of the road.
The result of accidentally eating poisonous plants can lead to diarrhea, vomiting, and even life-threatening in heavy cases, so we must be vigilant about picking plants in the countryside.
The following will introduce you to several kinds of plants that are more common in our daily life, but contain highly toxic plants.
In rural areas, there are some plants that are common, but many people are not aware that they contain toxicity. Understanding the properties and hazards of these plants is very important to protect our physical health.
1. Palmar boxwood
A common evergreen shrub or small tree, palm-leaved boxwood is often used as a pruning plant in rural gardening and landscape design because of its beautiful leaves and ability to shape easily.
Palmarfol boxwood has the following morphological characteristics:
1. Leaves: The leaves of the palmar boxwood are arranged in pairs, oval or ovate, smooth and shiny, and the edges of the leaves are neat and smooth, dark green.
2. Flowers: Palmar boxwood blooms small white flowers with flowers clustered in long, dense panicles.
3. Fruits: The fruits of the palmar boxwood are round or ovate berries that are black when ripe, and each fruit contains multiple seeds.
4. Tree shape: Palm-leaved boxwood can grow as a shrub or small tree and can be pruned into different shapes such as spherical, conical, or box-shaped.
However, many people do not know that it itself contains a highly toxic alkaloid - red vine.
If you mistakenly eat the seeds, needles or bark of palmar boxwood, it can cause symptoms of poisoning, including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, diarrhea and irregular heartbeat, and in severe cases, coma and respiratory failure.
Pollen pollen from boxwood may trigger pollen allergy symptoms such as sneezing, eye discomfort and difficulty breathing. For some people with allergies, exposure to palmophyllum boxwood may cause discomfort or allergic reactions.
2. Narcissus
Narcissus is an elegant perennial herb commonly used in garden and landscape design.
Narcissus has the following morphological characteristics:
1. Flowers: The flowers of Narcissus are usually funnel-shaped or stalactite-shaped, and the petals are often white, yellow or orange, sometimes accompanied by a color change in the corolla. Flowers usually have an aromatic smell that gives a pleasant feeling.
2. Leaves: The leaves of Narcissus are linear, flat, bright green, long and narrow.
The underground part of the daffodil - bulbs contain a lot of toxins, especially mature bulbs, if you mistakenly eat the bulbs of daffodils, it will cause numbness of the lips, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and other digestive symptoms, and in severe cases, it may lead to arrhythmias and nervous system poisoning.
In some cases, exposure to toxic ingredients from excessive or intentional ingestion of narcinosis can lead to poisoning and even life-threatening.
In addition, some people may have allergic reactions to the pollen of daffodil plants or contact with the sap of plants, such as redness, itching, rashes, blisters, etc.
Importantly, Narcissus is also toxic to many animals. It is highly toxic to animals such as cats, dogs, and poultry, and eating the part of the daffodil plant may cause poisoning, resulting in symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and burning in the mouth. Therefore, be sure to watch your pets to prevent poisoning by accidentally eating narcissus.
3. Wild carrots
Wild carrots are a common wild plant, also known as wild carrots or grass carrots.
Wild carrots have the following morphological characteristics:
1. Plants: Wild carrots are annual or biennial herbs that can reach a height of 1 meter. It has an elongated stem with many branched and pinnate compound leaves on the stem, and the stem and leaves are often dark green.
2. Flowers: Wild carrots produce small white flowers in the shape of umbel-shaped inflorescences. The flowers usually gather in the center of each umbel-like inflorescence and give off a fragrant scent.
3. Roots: The main feature of wild carrots is their tuber or spindle-shaped roots. These roots resemble carrot roots, but are usually small and irregularly shaped, and are mostly light brown or white in color.
The whole grass of wild carrots contains a variety of toxic ingredients such as tuberine and nicotine. The toxicity of wild carrots can cause symptoms of poisoning, including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, limb weakness and dyspnea, and in severe cases, it may even lead to respiratory failure and death.
IV. Mandala
Mandala is a poisonous herb also known as mandala flower or blowing sand.
Mandala has the following morphological characteristics:
1. Plants: Datura is an annual or perennial herb that can reach a height of 1-1.5 meters. It has an erect stem that often has branches and leaves. The stems and leaves are usually green in color.
2. Leaves: The leaves of the mandala are ovate or oval with jagged or wavy edges. The surface of the leaves is smooth or slightly rough.
3. Flowers: Mandalas produce large flowers, usually white, lilac, or light yellow. The flowers are trumpet-shaped, with slightly wrinkled petals and unfold outward.
4. Fruit: The fruit of the mandala is a spherical or oval capsule that is brown when ripe. The fruit contains many small seeds, which are usually black or dark brown.
Datura contains a variety of alkaloids such as scopolamine, solanine, and tropine, which have sedative, psychedelic and anticholinergic effects. Ingestion of mandala can cause dry mouth, dry eyes, increased heart rate, elevated body temperature, hallucinations and other poisoning symptoms, and in severe cases, it can lead to coma and respiratory failure.
5. Bitter grass
Bitter grass, also known as andrographis and water radish, is a common perennial herb.
Bitter grass has the following morphological characteristics:
- Plants: Bitter grass has slender stems that crawl on the ground and can grow into a dense ground cover. The stems usually grow in the shape of vines and can reach tens of centimeters in length. The entire plant surface is smooth.
2. Leaves: The leaves of bitter grass grow between the nodes of the stem and take on the shape of a round or heart. The leaf edges are tinyly jagged. The leaves usually grow single-leaved, thicker and sometimes with wavy textures. The leaf color is usually dark green.
3. Flowers: Bitter grass has a long flowering period, generally from summer to autumn. The flower shaft stretches higher than the leaves and produces small white or lilac flowers. The flowers have five petals and give off a light aromatic smell.
4. Tubers: The tubers of bitter grass are small, grow underground and are brown or dark brown. Tubers are rich in active ingredients and are used in herbal remedies and traditional medicine.
There are about 200 varieties of bitter grass, and the seeds of some varieties contain a substance called olealdehyde inhibitors. If you mistakenly eat the seeds of bitter grass, it can cause digestive and nervous system symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, gastrointestinal cramps and dizziness.
The main toxins in these plants are very dangerous to the human body, and they can directly have serious effects on the nervous system, cardiovascular system and digestive system of the human body.
In rural settings, especially gardening enthusiasts and children, they should be extra vigilant to avoid ingesting or coming into contact with these plants, especially without professional knowledge and experience.
To sum up, many of the common plants in rural areas have toxic components, and understanding the characteristics and hazards of these plants is essential for our safety.
Be vigilant when coming into contact with these plants and try to avoid accidental ingestion or contact to ensure our health and safety.