Safe and Poisonous Garden Plants

Did You Know?

Each year over 100,000 people in the United States call Poison Control Centers about plant and mushroom exposures.
There is no easy "test" for knowing which plants are poisonous.

Some plants may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or stomach cramps.
Some plants have substances which are irritating to the skin, mouth, and tongue. Immediate burning pain is common, and sometimes stomach upset, mouth and tongue swelling, or breathing problems may occur.
Some plants may cause a skin rash. Sometimes the rash occurs only after being in sunlight, or gets worse with sunlight.

Heating and cooking do not necessarily destroy a plant's or mushroom's toxic parts.
Teas and home-made medicines made from plants can be poisonous.
Eating a small amount of a plant may not be a problem, but large or repeated doses may be harmful.
Young children, and sometimes pets, will often chew or eat anything, no matter how it tastes.

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Visit the California Poison Control System "Know Your Plants" web page for more information: http://www.calpoison.com/public/plants.html