Most of the people know that plants are very good and extremely beneficial for us, particularly the indoor plants.
It is mostly because they cleanse the air, provide oxygen and they simply refresh our home and make it more comfortable to live in.
However, you need to be careful, since there are some plants that can be so dangerous, and you shouldn’t keep them in your house. These plants can be very dangerous for your family and yourself, especially if you have children or pets in your home. This is the reason why you need to stay away from these plants, and if you have some in your home – you should throw it away straightaway.
Here is a list of the 10 deadly plants that you should remove from your house immediately:
1. Water Hemlock (Cicuta Maculata)
You need to know that this dangerous plant is related to the poison hemlock that was used to kill Socrates in ancient times. You need also to know that water hemlock is a big wildflower from the carrot family and by appearance it is similar to Queen Anne’s lace. This plants looks as parsnips or celery. This plant is very dangerous and if it is indigested it may have side effects, it can even cause death. Water hemlock has a deadly cictutoxin that is mostly concentrated in its roots and the consequences of it are felt almost immediately after the exposure. The symptoms from water hemlock poisoning are painful convulsion, nausea, abdominal cramps and the most fatal cases result in death. Those who have survived this type of poisoning, very often experience amnesia and lasting tremors.
2. Deadly Nightshade (Atropa Belladonna)
Have you heard of the legend – the Macbeth’s soldiers poisoned the Danish invaders with a wine spiced with the sweet fruit of Belladonna? This plant has sweet taste and fruits that are similar to berries, which usually are responsible for the most of the cases of poisoning. You need to know that this dangerous plant is coming from the wooded areas in central and southern Europe and Asia and its leaves have dull green color and black cherry-sized berries. Scopolamine and atropine are the poisons that are responsible for its toxicity, and they can be found in its leaves, stems, fruits and even roots. The poison, if it is ingested, can cause paralysis of the involuntary muscles, including the heart, that can quickly have deadly consequences. It is so poisonous that even if it comes in contact with your skin, it can become inflamed and irritated.
3. White Snakeroot (Ageratina Altissima)
First of all, you need to know that this poisonous plant is coming from North America. White Snakeroot is a plant that has flat-topped clusters of small white flowers, which contain a toxic alcohol, called trematol. This plant is responsible for the death of Abraham Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hawks. The worst thing about this plant is that to be poisoned you don’t have to ingest it directly. Nancy Hawks died from drinking the milk of a cow that has eaten this plant. This means that even the meat and milk from a poisoned cattle can have deadly consequences if it is ingested. The most frequent symptoms of white snakeroot “milk poisoning” are loss of appetite, weakness, nausea, abdominal discomfort, abnormal acidity of the blood, red tongue, and eventually death. For that reason, all farmers are warned about the toxicity of this deadly plant and all of them try to remove this dangerous plant from the pastures where their animals go.
4. Castor Bean (Ricinus Communis)
This type of plant is typically grown as an ornamental plant because of its attractive looks and it’s coming from Africa. Probably you have heard about castor oil, right? It is produced from processed seeds, but before processing the beans from the plant contain a poison that is called ricin, extremely deadly even in very small quantities. You have to be very careful, as just a seed or two are enough to kill a kid while just 8 seeds can kill an adult person very easily. Ricin prevents the synthesis of the proteins within the cells and can cause severe vomiting, seizures, diarrhea, and even can lead to death.
5. Rosary Pea (Abrus Precatorius)
This herb is also known as jequirity beans. It contains abrin that is an extremely deadly ribosome-inhibiting protein. This plant is native to tropical areas and very often is used in jewelry and prayer rosaries. It is kind of weird thing that if the seeds are not damaged they are not poisonous at all, but if they are anyhow broken, scratched, or chewed – they can be deadly. Only 3 micrograms of abrin are enough to kill a grown person, which is less than the amount of poison in a single seed, and it’s said that lots of jewelry makers poisoned themselves and even died after accidentally puncturing their fingers when working with the seeds of this plant. Just as ricin, abrin prevents protein synthesis within the cells and might cause organ failure within 4 days.
6. Oleander (Nerium Oleander)
This plant is known for the amazing pink flowers it has. Lots of people know that this plant is toxic, but they still keep it as a hedge and ornamental flower in their yard. You need to know that all oleander parts are deadly and that they contain a toxin called nerine and oleandrin. So, if accidentally it’s ingested, oleander might cause erratic pulse, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, coma, and even death. For some people even the slightest physical contact with oleander can lead to an irritation and rash. You are going to be shocked when we tell you that this plant is that poisonous that some persons have gotten ill from eating a honey that was made from bees that extracted the pollen from this plant. Nevertheless, oleander poisoning is very rare since the plant has a very bitter taste and doesn’t encourage anyone to taste it.
7. Tobacco (Nicotiana Tabacum)
Have you known that tobacco is the most widely grown commercial non-food plant in the world? All parts of the plant, especially the leaves, contain the toxic alkaloids, anabasine and nicotine, and if it is eaten can be fatal for human’s health. Regardless of its designation as a cardiac poison, the nicotine from tobacco is widely consumed everywhere in the world and is both addictive and psychoactive. As the latest statistics show, tobacco use can cause more than 5 million deaths per year, which makes it perhaps the deadliest plant in the world.
8. Angel Trumpet
This plant is coming from South America and contains 3 powerful toxins: hyoscyamine, atropine and scopolamine, that has mind altering properties. Its deadly properties on its own are not so deadly but when it’s used as a biological weapon by people they are very dangerous. In the documentary called “Colombian Devil’s Breath”, the makers explained how the toxic plant is used by criminal gang members to turn their victims into a walking zombies. It has power to make its victims unaware of the thing they are doing and saying but they are still completely conscious. In that documentary there were several horrifying stories about persons who were taken advantage of the effect of this plant. One very shocking story is about a man, exposed to scopolamine powder, helped the thieves to rob his own apartment and he even helped them to load the stuff into their truck.
9. Spurge laurel
Spurge laurel, a very dangerous plant that is a woody mini shrub commonly found in public grounds and ornamental gardens and it’s closely related to the Bay leaf. This plant doesn’t have dangerous look, but you need to be careful, since this plant is one of the deadliest plants because it can lead to a horrifying death. It contains powerful biocides which can cause skin irritation and painful blisters if you handle it without any protection. This plant is deadly if it is consumed internally – wreaking total havoc, major internal bleeding and organ failure after consuming just a couple of its berries. It causes imminent death in only a few hours.
10. Death Camas
Death camas is a flowering toxic plant, native all over the United States and it generally reaches several feet in height. The flowers of this plant grow as panicles, a cluster of flowers which can resemble those of onions (Allium). Death camas can also be confused with the edible Camas, that is an extremely important food source for the northwestern Native Americans. All parts of these plants, from the leaves to the bulbs, contain zygacine, which is a steroidal toxin that, if ingested, results in rapid death. If it is just ingested in the smallest amounts this plant can lead to organ failure and blood disturbance, also causing imminent death.
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