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The columbine is a flowering plant that is popular in a garden flower bed in the local latitudes for its graceful blue flowers. Because it is easy to care for and enchants with its flowers in summer. But the question always arises as to whether the Aquilegia, which belongs to the buttercup family, can harm children or pets. Because it is slightly poisonous and horses in particular should not be able to nibble on the plant.
columbine
appearance
The columbine grows up to 80 cm high and grows herbaceously. Between May and July, it ignites its flowers, which are usually purple but can also be pink or white in some varieties. The flowers are bell-shaped and hang from stems.
Columbines, Aquilegia
toxins
All parts of Aquilegia are poisonous, but the poison is particularly pronounced in the seeds. Nevertheless, the toxicity of the plant is not as high and therefore not as dangerous as is the case with many other plants. Symptoms can occur when touched or even eaten, but these usually do not lead to life-threatening situations. Nevertheless, caution is advised if there are small children in the family, free-roaming pets or even horses could get to the plants.
The plant mainly has the following toxins:
- hydrocyanic acid glycosides
- magnoflorin
- particularly high concentration in seeds
- also present in all other plant parts
Because of these toxins and because they could also be transmitted through skin contact and absorbed by the body, the plant should not come into contact with the skin either. It is therefore advisable to always wear long clothing and gardening gloves when working.
symptoms
If there has been direct contact with the columbine through the skin, or if the leaves or seeds have been eaten by pets or small children, the following symptoms of poisoning can occur.
- diarrhea
- Vomit
- general nausea
- Stomach and intestinal cramps
- cardiac arrhythmias
- shortness of breath
- severe circulatory problems
Columbines, Aquilegia
If one or more symptoms occur in a person or a pet, it is advisable to go directly to the doctor or, if necessary, to call the emergency call center. In such a case, it is just as important to contact the poison control center to inquire about a possible antidote or other appropriate measures. Here, for example, www.gizbonn.de/285.0.html also helps by explaining initial measures.
drying
Non-toxic when dried and heated
However, columbine is also known as a medicinal herb for various ailments and is even offered as a tea. As with many poisonous plants, once the leaves have dried or the plant has been boiled, it is completely non-toxic and the toxins lose their effect. So the columbine can be used as a medicinal herb for the following complaints.
- not popular as a tea
- very bitter taste
- applied externally as a poultice
- against gout
- against abscesses
- for digestive problems
- with rheumatism
- against ulcers
Precautions
With children
If there are mainly small children in the household, it is important that they cannot come into contact with the plant. On the other hand, older children, from around the third grade of elementary school onwards, can be told that one or the other plant in the garden is poisonous and they should not touch it. Small children, on the other hand, like to play with picking leaves or flowers from plants or using the seeds to cook, for example, in a playful way.
Columbines, Aquilegia
Therefore, the following precautions should be strictly observed:
- completely renounce the cultivation of Aquilegia
- Fence the garden bed well with plants
- cultivate in the pot and keep out of reach
Even if no deaths from the poison of the plant have been recorded so far, the symptoms are even more pronounced in small children than in adults. Therefore, a family with small children should decide against cultivating the plant for health reasons.
For pets
If there are free-roaming pets in the household, such as dogs or cats, who are allowed to enter the garden at any time, then they must also be protected from contact with the poisonous plants. Because even if you touch it, the poison can enter the body and cause the symptoms described. However, the poison can cause greater damage, especially in smaller animals, but this can be avoided.
So the dogs and cats should be protected as follows:
- Only plant in areas where animals cannot access
- Protection for dogs is easier
- a fence around the garden bed is enough
- Cats are better at jumping and climbing
- For the love of the pet, it is better to refrain from cultivation
dog with cat
Not only dogs and cats, but also all other pets that are allowed to run free in the garden, such as rabbits or guinea pigs, like to nibble on the various plants. If the household also includes rodents that have their outlet in the garden, then in such a case the columbine, which can be very poisonous and therefore dangerous for the small animals, should not be accessible for them either.
Aquilegia and horses
The plant can also pose a great danger to hoofed animals. Because Aquilegia is not only cultivated more and more frequently in local gardens, the plant can also be found on many roadsides where it grows wild. If the animals nibble on the plants, the toxic substances quickly enter the body and can affect the entire circulatory system. In such a case, the veterinarian should be consulted immediately.
Horses in paddock
The following measures are helpful to protect the horses:
- Inspect pastures for any plants that may be poisonous
- Check vegetation around pasture edges and fences
- pay attention to the plants along the way when riding out
- not cultivate columbines on your own farm
Source:
- www.gizbonn.de/285.0.html