Is milkweed poisonous?

Is milkweed poisonous?

Answer: Yes. Not only is it poisonous, but the whole plant is poisonous, especially the white juice in the plant body, which has the highest toxin content and is the most toxic. But no studies have shown that it emits any toxic gases. It is usually poisoning due to accidental ingestion.

Symptoms of poisoning

After accidental ingestion, symptoms such as dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, accelerated but weak pulse, high fever, inability to stand or walk, swelling, and weakness may occur. The initial symptoms of accidental ingestion will be vomiting, nausea, dizziness, headache, etc., followed by delirium, irritability, diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc., followed by convulsions, insensitivity to light, dilated pupils, irregular pulse, pale complexion, cold sweat, cold limbs, etc. In the end, the mildest cases will fall into a coma, and the severe ones will die.

The solution

After accidental ingestion, you should induce vomiting or perform gastric lavage immediately. If the condition is more serious, you can use laxatives.

Therefore, when growing it, it must be placed out of the reach of children, and a warning sign should be placed next to the pot, such as the plant is poisonous and cannot be eaten.

The benefits of toxicity

Its toxicity is also used in medicine to resist other diseases; but there is also an interesting benefit, which is that it can help butterflies avoid being attacked by birds, because milkweed attracts butterflies, and butterfly larvae grow by sucking milkweed, so it also contains certain toxins, so birds will not bite them.