Poisionous Poinsettias: Truth or Myth

I am not going to lie to you and tell you that I know first hand that poinsettia plants are poisonous or not. This question really spiked my curiosity so I went on to research this topic a little bit further and found out some very important information. I wanted to know if these plants were OK to have in my home during the holidays considering I have a six year old son and a 4 month old son who will soon be crawling. Not to mention our lovely dog who can not resist sniffing out anything new sitting in our house, especially plants. Here is the information I found out, according to www.webmd.com.

In 1828, Joel Roberts Poinsettia, the first United States Minister to Mexico, introduced this lovely plant to the United States. The plant has been associated with Christmas for a long time, however I am sure most people do not even know how this flowering plant came to be the Christmas plant. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_pulcherrima back in the 16th century a little Mexican girl was said to be too poor to buy gifts for the celebration of Jesus' birthday. Inspired by an angel, the angel told the little girl to go pick weeds from the roadsides and place them at the altar as her gift. The weeds she picked has red blossoms sprouting off of them and those blossoms became poinsettias. I can believe this story however, most people will always wonder if it is a myth or not about poinsettias. Myth or truth these plants, no matter how beautiful they are can still be dangerous to you.

According to www.webmd.com poinsettias are not going to kill you if you ingest them into your system by eating the leaves or the flowers; however I still would not advise you to do so out of curiosity. If someone in your house has accidental swallowed a piece of a poinsettia flower, watch their actions for the next couple hours and if nothing occurs then you are OK; however if they start producing a fever, then it would be wise to call your local poison control and inform them on your situation. Poinsettia plants are not poisonous, however you never know what was sprayed on them to preserve them throughout the holiday season.

Now, even though the consumption of a poinsettia plant may not be poisonous, it can still pose problems for people who have allergies. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology in New Orleans shows that a poinsettia plant can cause a risk to have a severe allergic reaction to this plant if it is touched or consumed in some way. If you are allergic to any type of latex, you are advised to stay clear from the poinsettia plant due to the fact the poinsettia plant contains a compound in it that is similar to a compound found in rubber latex. If you have a latex allergy, and you have been exposed to a poinsettia plant, make sure you wash your hands first and foremost so it won't spread anywhere else on your body. Take your medicine that you normally would take with an allergic reaction and call your doctor for further instructions.

These beautiful flowers can still be placed in your home, office or churches during this fun holiday time, however as long as you know your facts about this Christmas plant then you will be OK when it comes to having one, two or like my family at least 12! Merry Christmas!