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Firethorn is a garden shrub that is widespread in the local area. The plant is particularly popular because of its attractive appearance. In spring it is adorned with white flowers, from which orange to red round fruits grow over the course of the year. These quite tempting-looking fruits stay on the bush for a long time, even well into winter. The attractive ornamental shrub is evergreen. It can be found as a hedge in public facilities and thus increasingly in the vicinity of children's playgrounds. But be careful: parts of the firethorn are poisonous, albeit weak.
toxicity
Toxic parts of the plant
The stalks, shoots and leaves of firethorn are non-toxic and therefore harmless. The berry-shaped drupes are not poisonous per se. When eaten, however, they taste quite unpleasantly floury and sour. They are therefore not suitable for raw consumption.
In the small, round, nut-like fruits, however, there are between two to five seeds in the form of tiny kernels. These seeds contain traces of toxins from the group of cyanogenic glycosides. When chewed and later digested, this toxin is released and has a slightly toxic effect on the human body and toxic to highly toxic on animals.
toxin intake
This is how the poison gets into the body
Touching the parts of the plant is possible without any problems, because they are not poisonous. This also applies to the seeds that contain the toxin. Even putting your hand to your mouth after touching the fruit with the seeds is not dangerous. The poison is ingested just by eating the fruit.
Tip: Even if the effect for adults is only weak: do not eat the fruit raw. However, the shrub is considered an alternative to sea buckthorn and is therefore often used in the kitchen. When cooking jam, make sure that the jam is free of seeds. The glycoside in the seeds also survives cooking. Although the amounts of this substance are small, it is safer to remove the pits/seeds.
Important: This is what you should know about cyanogenic glycosides
- cyanogenic glycosides are widespread as plant toxins
- they consist of sugar in the combination of carbohydrate and alcohol
- attached to the carbon bond is a nitrile group
- when consumed, the so-called enzymatic cleavage takes place
- in the process, hydrogen cyanide is released
- Hydrogen cyanide is better known under the popular name hydrocyanic acid
toxic effect
The concentration of these toxins in the berries is so low. For adults, even after consuming large amounts, symptoms of poisoning do not occur, or very rarely.
In toddlers
Attention children: Potentiated effect
However, sensitive people and especially children are affected by the consumption of raw firethorn fruits. Small children also do not tolerate small amounts well.
The consequences:
- Discomfort in the stomach and intestines
- nausea
- Vomit
- diarrhea
The toxic effect of the glycoside does not start immediately after eating the firethorn fruit. This is because cyanogenic glycosides themselves have no toxic effect. Only when the molecule is split is the hydrocyanic acid released.
The breakdown of the dangerous hydrocyanic acid takes place enzymatically. This means that the toxic effect only occurs when the enzymes in the saliva and later in the stomach or intestines, which are important for digestion, act on the crushed fruit. Ten to twenty minutes can pass between consumption and the first symptoms, especially if the child swallowed the berries whole and did not chew them.
With cats
Toxic effect on cats
While firethorn berries and seeds cause mild symptoms of poisoning in humans and are not fatal, the effects on cats are threatening. This is because the hydrocyanic acid released by the cyanogenic glycosides is highly toxic and therefore devastating to the animal.
- Root cause: the hydrocyanic acid intervenes in the metabolism and within a very short time the energy metabolism is paralyzed
These symptoms indicate poisoning:
- beginning shortness of breath
- progressive difficulty breathing
- increased salivation
- increasing heart rate
- fever
- tachycardia
First aid for firethorn poisoning:
- act quickly in case of prussic acid poisoning as the poisoning progresses rapidly
- if the animal chokes on its own, you are mechanically irritating the digestive tract
- by doing this, you help him get rid of the eaten berries before the enzymatic processing begins
- do not give the animal anything liquid
- Attention: no milk, no oil and also no water
- consult a veterinarian immediately
In dogs
danger to dogs
Dogs, especially smaller specimens, also react strongly to cyanogenic glycosides. Their energy metabolism is also paralyzed in a short time. Therefore, rapid measures must also be taken in dogs in the event of symptoms of poisoning.
- Induce vomiting mechanically
- give no liquid
- see a vet quickly
prevention
Measures of caution
- Cat owners refrain from planting firethorn
- if the shrub already exists, you should keep the cat away
- Dogs should also be made clear “educationally” to keep away
Tip: Firethorn has spikes. Lightly "poking" the animals with the plant shows them that touching them is unpleasant. This keeps pets, especially more intelligent dogs, away.
First aid
First aid for firethorn poisoning
- in no case do not give the child milk to drink;
- the administration of tea also has a counterproductive effect
- Ground: Liquids stimulate digestion and thus the effect of enzymes on the cyanogenic glycosides
- refrain from inducing vomiting
Did you actually know:
… that you are more likely to harm a child if you encourage it to vomit. Small children in particular lose a lot of fluids in the process. Dehydration is a risk for them.
alternative plants
A good alternative to firethorn is sea buckthorn. It also bears small, round fruits. These are lighter and glow in yellow to orange.