Poinsettia

Yesterday we had a winter storm here in Wisconsin.  What says Christmas more than a fresh layer of snow?  Filled with the spirit I stopped on my drive home to purchase a poinsettia.  The beautiful Christmas plant now sits in a place of honor near our other decorations.  Fresh snow and a poinsettia, how festive!

The Poinsettia has a great history in the poison world.  Lore will tell us that the poinsettia is an extremely dangerous plant.  Eating just a single bud will lead to a child's death.  That fear comes from a story that originated in Hawaii.  Back in 1920 a small child supposedly ate a poinsettia plant.  Later, that child died.  But the story, like any urban myth, has grown and morphed over the years.  There has never been any verification that it ever happened.  None-the-less, is a poinsettia poisonous?  A colleague did a study looking at the ingestion of poinsettias as reported to a Poison Center.  Here is the link to the paper in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.    There were over 22,000 exposures of which not a single patient died.  In fact, over 92 % had no problems related to the plant.  Pretty compelling work.  Poinsettias may cause some stomach upset, nausea or vomiting, if you make a salad of it.  A child tasting the plant will likely never have a problem.  Nor will your dog or cat.   But like anything else; it is always important to practice prevention and avoid any accidental ingestion. 

Today pick up a poinsettia and enjoy its beauty.  Merry Christmas!