POISONOUS PLANTS

BY DANA BENNER

There are many things in nature that can take you down. Most threats are obvious, such as two- and four-legged predators, storms and falling off a cliff. Then, there are the less-obvious hazards in the form of insects, bad water and even toxic plants.

In this piece, I will list and cover eight toxic plants that, if they don’t kill you, will certainly ruin your day. Learning how to identify these plants and treating the effects if you do come in contact with them are both extremely important for your health and safety.

Some of these plants might be familiar to you; others might not. Several occur naturally in our environment. Others are species introduced here from other parts of the world and that have gone “wild”in our environment. A handful excrete toxins that cause topical distress, while others have to be ingested to be harmful. Some plants have both “good”and “bad”parts. All are worth learning and knowing about—and avoiding whenever possible

TOPICAL TROUBLE

The plants discussed in this section are the ones that cause skin problems when you come in contact with them. Some of these problems are simple rashes, discomfort or mild skin irritation for most people. However, they can be more serious for some people. In some cases, these poisons can become systemic, meaning that they get into your system and flare up anytime. These cases need to be treated professionally, usually with steroids

Distinctive threeleaf clusters are associated with poison ivy plants