Toxic plants: precautions to take

The first rule to avoid any poisoning is obviously to know the plants that you have at home. Whether it is your indoor or outdoor plants, it therefore seems essential to have their name and toxicity in mind, in order to take the necessary measures. We also recommend that you keep the labels that you find on the pot of each of your plants when you buy them. Indeed, you can consider that it is in fact its technical sheet, or its identity document. All the information concerning a plant is there. This way, you will be able to know the degree of toxicity of your plants and in the event of accidental poisoning, give the right information to the person who will treat you.

Whether in your garden or indoors, we advise you to place your toxic plants in places where neither your children nor your animals will be able to easily access them. It is important that your plants considered toxic are far from places of passage. Thus, indoors, we advise you to opt for locations that are not easily accessible, at the top of a shelf for example, hanging, or on a high piece of furniture. Outdoors, it is the same. Do not place these toxic plants on your terrace or near a play area. Clearly, you will need to favor locations out of the reach of children and animals. On this subject, if you would like more information, you can also consult our article How to keep your cats away from plants?

It is common to confuse a toxic species with a non-toxic one, and thus to poison oneself by thinking that one is consuming a plant that one does not think is harmful. This is the case, for example, of wild garlic, frequently confused with colchicum. The latter is a cardiotoxic species that can cause very serious reactions.

Some hikers often think that they can safely consume certain plants that they find on their path and that they think they know. However, it seems essential to photograph your harvests and to find out before consuming species found in nature, and especially to stop consuming them immediately if the taste seems unusual. We would still advise you to avoid consuming any plants found in unfamiliar terrain. For your personal consumption, therefore, favor plants that you have sown yourself in your vegetable garden, because wild plants can be really dangerous. It is therefore time for prevention, especially with regard to the youngest!

If you experience any reactions following contact with or ingestion of an unknown plant, do not hesitate to consult a doctor quickly.