Danger Lies in a Common House and Office Plant Called "Dumbcane"

Did you know that danger lurks in a common plant often displayed in homes and offices? There is a plant called dieffenbachia amoena or "dumbcane," found in or around houses and office buildings that could be dangerous to your health, even deadly. It is a tropical plant displayed for its big leafy aesthetic qualities, but can cause muteness if the sap from its leaves or stem comes in contact with the mouth. The sap that this plant contains can burn the mouth, swell the tongue, or numb the vocal folds.

The vocal folds are the parts of the larynx that vibrate together in order to create the sounds that will ultimately be articulated into words. Therefore, if the vocal folds are made numb by such a powerful sap, they will no longer be able to vibrate properly. This means they will no longer be able to create the sound for speech, causing muteness.

Now obviously, this risk is not very high for older children and adults, but if you have younger children running around the house, especially curious ones, you should keep a very watchful eye on them. It is very possible they may stick one the leaves in their mouths. If a child has a bad enough reaction to the sap, it could actually kill them.

The sap can also be toxic to open cuts. This becomes a danger to people that own them when they overwater this plant, which they tend to do because of its large size. This leads to the rotting of its roots as well as the base of the canes. To fix this problem, people cut the top of the stem to keep it alive and healthy. However, when the stem is cut open, the person is exposed to the poisonous sap, which could ultimately come in contact with any open cut he or she may have. The same danger will occur if the leaves are removed.

Many years ago, slave owners of Caribbean sugar plantations used the sap to punish disobedient slaves. This plant can also attack the body's sex cells and can cause sterilization. In 1941, the Nazi's considered using it as a means for sterilizing the war prisoners, but due to shipping difficulties, they could not carry this plan out.

It is very strange to think that a plant so dangerous and with such an vicious past is so popular these days in homes and buildings that people tend to believe are completely safe and harmless. They may be beautiful plants, but who knew about the danger that lurked inside of them!