It is impossible to imagine a single living room without the presence of indoor flowers. They not only create a beautiful and comfortable atmosphere in the house, but also purify the air, enriching it with oxygen. Nevertheless, it must be remembered that not all plants are harmless. The article discusses the types of harmful indoor plants for human health.
Philodendron plant
The philodendron plant is on any list of harmful indoor plants. There are about 700 different species of this plant. Most of them grow in tropical areas, where they weave through trees and feed using their aerial roots. Some types of philodendron adapted to life in a colder and drier climate, among which there are indoor plants.
If philodendron is present among home flowers, then you need to know that it does not pose any threat to human health if you do not eat it. All parts of the flower are poisonous, since the roots, stem and leaves of the plant contain calcium oxalate, a toxic crystalline chemical.
Small doses of calcium oxalate lead to burning sensations on the lips and in the oral cavity, slightly larger doses cause severe throat irritation, as a result of which a person may lose his voice, and also lead to progressive pain in the stomach. Finally, if calcium oxalate enters the body in large quantities, it causes convulsive muscle contractions, loss of consciousness, and death. Even if it is possible to avoid a fatal outcome, the injured person may suffer the rest of his life from liver and kidney failure. Since any child pulls everything in his mouth, the philodendron is undoubtedly one of the indoor plants dangerous for children.
Beautiful and dangerous dieffenbachia
Dieffenbachia is another tropical plant that was introduced to Europe in the 19th century from the regions of Central America. It quickly gained popularity among home gardeners due to its beauty (large green leaves with white spots), as well as its unpretentiousness in relation to sunlight. Currently, it can be found in residential premises, company offices, hospitals and even kindergartens.
Why can not Dieffenbachia be kept at home and in the premises where the children are? The fact is that all green parts of this plant are toxic. Of course, the poison of the plant is not as strong as in the case of the philodendron, but it can cause a strong allergic reaction to the skin, its itching, as well as temporary loss of voice. This happens when a person begins to chew on the leaves or stems of the plant, or when the juice of Dieffenbachia enters the skin. All these negative symptoms explain why Dieffenbachia cannot be kept at home.
As a rule, all of these symptoms are not dangerous and are eliminated with activated charcoal and antihistamines. After the juice of the plant gets on the skin of the hands or face, it is necessary to rinse the substance thoroughly with plenty of water.
Flowering hydrangea
This beautiful plant originates from the south of Asia. It is grown in many gardens and houses, since hydrangea has very beautiful flowers and inflorescences of a very different color. In addition, the flowers on the plant delight from spring to autumn.
However, hydrangea is a harmful indoor plant for human health, because its leaves (in a low concentration) and flowers (in a high concentration) contain hydragin. From a chemical point of view, it is a glucoside in which a glucose molecule combines with cyanide. Note that various glucosides are used in some chemical processes to isolate the necessary substances from the extracts. In this case, chemical hydrolysis is used.
When hydrangea hydrangea enters the human body, no hydrolysis occurs, therefore, cyanide remains in a bound state and, in theory, should not cause harm to the body. Nevertheless, there is documentary evidence that people, dogs and even horses were poisoned by hydrangea.
Small flower primrose
Often in many bedrooms and children's rooms you can see primrose flowers. Indeed, what could be better than decorating the window sills of apartments and houses with these multi-colored small indoor flowers! But can primrose be grown at home?
Every amateur gardener dealing with this kind of flowers should know that during flowering they release toxic substances (alkaloids), which, with prolonged exposure to the body, cause nausea and dizziness. Moreover, the flowers of this plant also contain toxic chemical compounds that can cause an allergic reaction. Therefore, it is recommended to grow primrose in well-ventilated non-sleeping rooms, for example, on the verandas of houses.
It is interesting to note that many sources of information about plants speak of the numerous medical properties of primrose, which it actually possesses, but are silent about the fact of its toxicity.
Unpretentious azalea
Azalea is a magnificent houseplant that blooms in early spring for several weeks. It is unpretentious and prefers to grow in shaded rooms. Azalea is a slowly growing plant, some of its species can live 50 years or longer. People have been cultivating azaleas at home for several centuries. Initially, it was bred in gardens and parks, then they began to grow as an indoor flower.
However, azalea is also a harmful indoor plant, as its leaves contain glucosides. These chemicals, when ingested, cause poisoning, cardiac arrhythmias, and death. Of course, a fatal outcome occurs only when large quantities of glucosides are ingested. In any case, azalea should be grown in places that are inaccessible to children and pets.
Cactus trichocereus
The fashion of recent years has been the cultivation of Trichocereus cactus as houseplants. Cacti themselves in nature grow in the western part of the Andes, in South America, at an altitude of 2-3 km above sea level. They grow quickly and are quite unpretentious. However, this plant is not harmless to humans.
What is the danger of cactus trichocereus? Its stalk contains the alkaloid mescaline, which is a powerful hallucinogenic and psychotropic substance. It is known that in ancient times the Indians used this substance extracted from a cactus as a way of introducing a person into a trance during their pagan rituals. When mescaline enters the body, after 1 hour the first symptoms begin to appear: nausea and vomiting. After 2-4 hours, a person has a feeling of euphoria, profuse sweating, visual hallucinations, loss and sudden mood changes. These symptoms can last up to 12 hours after eating parts of the cactus as food. When ingested in large quantities, mescaline can cause paralysis of the central nervous system.
Currently, research is underway to elucidate the mechanism of action of mescaline on the human nervous system. For medical purposes, this chemical compound is not used.
Flower adenium
This houseplant is small in size, with a characteristic thickening at the base of the stem, which serves as a reservoir for water, and beautiful pink or red flowers depending on the species. However, growing adenium at home is not safe.
In the wild, adenium grows on the African continent and is called the "desert rose." For centuries, some African tribes have been using extract extracted from adenium flowers as a poison for their arrows and spears. To obtain this poison, the flowers of the plant are boiled for 12 hours, removing all water and leaving only the active substance.
The poison contained in the resulting substance is so strong that if a poisoned arrow enters an animal, then it is not able to escape for 2 km. With the help of the adenium toxin, African tribes prey on large animals in their area, including elephants.
The active substance of the poison of the plant is called ouabain. When it enters the body in large doses, respiratory failure occurs almost instantly, and the person dies.
Croton plant
The croton plant is a frequent inhabitant in many houses and apartments. The birthplace of Croton is Oceania, in particular the Pacific country of Malaysia. This plant is appreciated for the variety of shapes and colors of its leaves, which can reach sizes up to 90 cm and have colors from orange and yellow to red and brown. Due to its size and color of leaves, croton immediately attracts the attention of a person who entered the room with this plant. As for the flowers themselves, they do not differ in Croton anything special, in addition, at home it rarely blooms.
Is it possible to keep a croton at home? Of course, you can, but you need to know that its juice is poisonous. If you cut off the tip of the leaf or stem of a plant, then a white rubber-like liquid, which consists of starch granules, alkaloids and enzymes, will immediately begin to emerge from it. This liquid can irritate the mucous membranes and skin, and blisters appear on the skin. If croton juice is ingested, a person may experience diarrhea, vomiting, pain in the abdominal zone, and heart rate also decreases. All of the above suggests that croton should be handled with care and not let children in it.
Castor oil plant
Among plants that cannot be kept at home, castor oil must occupy one of the first places. Usually this plant is grown in open ground in gardens, but some gardeners prefer to see it at home. A houseplant is appreciated for the beauty of the shape of its leaves, which are dark purple in color. Nevertheless, castor oil seeds are very poisonous. If you chew or swallow such a seed, then a person has gastroenteritis, and the body becomes dehydrated due to diarrhea and vomiting. The liver and kidneys are also affected. Castor bean poison is one of the strongest known biological poisons. So, one castor bean seed can kill a cat, two - a dog or a child, three or four will lead to the death of an adult.
The toxicity of castor seeds is associated with the ricin protein that is present in them. Once in the body, this protein reacts with the ribosomes of the cell and interferes with the synthesis of proteins. This leads to the death of cells and, as a consequence, the whole organism.
It is interesting to note that oil obtained from castor oil seeds is one of the best laxatives. In the preparation of this product, its heat treatment occurs, which leads to the destruction of toxic ricin.
At present, castor seed oil is used in the industry for the production of paints, varnishes and lubricants for brake systems in automobiles.
Clivia flower
Among the harmful poisonous plants include clivia. This beautiful plant has dark green elongated leaves and orange-red large flowers, which is why gardeners grow it. Clivia is home to Africa. The plant begins to spread through European gardens from the 19th century. Its most famous species is clivia miniata.
Despite all its beauty and attractiveness, clivia juice contains toxic substances (calcium oxalate), which, when ingested in large quantities, lead to paralysis. Therefore, when working with this plant, for example, when performing the transplant procedure, appropriate precautions must be taken. In addition, clivia in the house should be in places inaccessible to small children and animals.
Cyclamen, or Alpine Violet
Among the most harmful indoor plants can be attributed to cyclamen. Plant lovers grow cyclamen in their homes for its beautiful little purple flowers, as well as the pleasant smell that they exude.
Nevertheless, the leaves and roots of the plant are poisonous to both humans and pets. The poisonous substance of the plant is cyclamine - this is saponin, which has a strong emetic and laxative effect. If cyclamine enters the body, it causes severe digestive tract disorders, the appearance of vomiting and diarrhea, a general feeling of weakness, pain in the abdominal region, renal failure and paralysis.
All of the above suggests that the pot with alpine violet should be placed in places where children and animals can not get it, in this case the plant can not do any harm, and they can be admired with pleasure.
Monstera Flower
Already by one name it can be said that one should be careful with this plant, because it means "monster" from the Latin language. This name Monstera received for the unusual shape of its leaves, which have natural openings, as well as for its huge size, because in the wild it can grow up to 20 m in height. As an indoor flower, monstera is grown because of its large dark green leaves with holes, as well as because of its undemanding to sunlight and simple care for it. Monstera can often be seen not only in the homes of amateur gardeners, but also in the office rooms of various companies.
Despite this, the flower can be safely attributed to the list of those plants that cannot be kept at home, since all its parts are poisonous due to the content of calcium oxalate in them. If parts of the monstera enter the body, they cause vomiting, paralysis of the tongue and general serious poisoning of the body, as a result, medical intervention will be required to eliminate dangerous symptoms. The ingestion of monstera juice on the face leads to a strong burning sensation and swelling of the face.
Given the large size of the plant, it is very difficult to place it out of the reach of children and pets at home, so it is recommended not to breed monstera at home.
It is interesting to note that it is grown on an industrial scale because of fruits that are completely harmless.