Is the Skimmia poisonous?

The Skimmia (bot. Skimmia) a popular ornamental plant. The most widespread is the species Skimmia japonica, which can be found wild in the undergrowth of the Japanese mountain forests. The plants are in great demand because of their beautiful flowers and their striking fruit decorations, but those belonging to the rhombus family (bot. Rutaceae) counting Skimmia are weakly poisonous. If you have young children, you should choose a different garden plant.

Is the Skimmia poisonous?

Basically are all parts of the plant the Skimmie poisonous. The bright red berries, which adorn the bushes from autumn and are very much eaten by birds, are particularly tempting for children. But even if the rounded, lonely berries are well tolerated by garden birds, that does not mean that they are harmless to humans.

All parts of the Skimmia contain slightly poisonous alkaloids, whereby these parts of the plant are particularly affected:

• Woody plant parts: Skimmin
• Leaves: dictamine, edulin, platydosmin, skimmianin and sosolin

The berries - botanically they are stone fruits - contains especially the core the toxins, which is why the pea-sized fruits should not be swallowed. Alkaloids are nitrogen-containing compounds that can cause symptoms of poisoning in both humans and pets.

Note: Did you know that in most Skimmias only the female plants bear the characteristic red fruits after pollination? Since Skimmia are dioecious, it always needs male and female plants for the berries to develop. The exception is the cultivar 'Skimmie reevesiana', which is hermaphroditic and therefore self-fertilizes.

species

In principle, all four Skimmia species and all varieties are considered to be slightly poisonous and should therefore only be planted for ornamental purposes. Only the leaves of Skimmia laureola, which occurs naturally in the Himalayas and northern China, are cooked in curries and other spicy dishes due to their aroma. This Skimmia also bears small, red berry fruits, which, however, are also poisonous and therefore not suitable for human consumption.

cats and dogs

While no relevant information can be found in the literature or on the Internet, cat and dog owners should be careful in this regard. Both pets like to nibble on indoor and garden plants, although - contrary to all claims - they cannot distinguish between poisonous and non-poisonous plants. If your pets are often in the garden, they should prefer to cultivate non-toxic and therefore completely harmless plant species there.

tip: Guinea pigs, rabbits and other rodents as well as turtles should not come into contact with the poisonous Skimmia or even eat from it. Due to the small size and the low body weight, the poison is much stronger here than in larger animals, especially since these pets are generally quite sensitive.

Symptoms of intoxication

The symptoms of poisoning depend on the ingredients of the plant parts consumed and the amount of poison ingested. In addition to the typical, but quite unspecific symptoms such as

• nausea
• Vomiting and / or diarrhea
• Dizziness and circulatory problems
• increased sweating
• fatigue
• Abdominal pain up to cramps

The alkaloids contained in the Skimmia trigger an involuntary twitching of the muscles. Above all, the Skimmianin strengthens the effect of the body's own adrenaline. This in turn results in the following symptoms:

• increased heart rate (palpitations to racing heart)
• in the worst case, arrhythmia
• rising blood sugar level (dangerous for diabetics!)
• Chest tightness
• sweat
• headache
• inner unrest
• paleness

In addition, the substance makes the organism particularly sensitive to spinal reflexes, which in turn turn into Muscle tremors as in Convulsions to express.

First aid

If you are suspected of being poisoned by the Skimmie, you should

• Remove any plant parts and fruits that are still in the mouth
• keep these plant remains for the doctor
• make the person concerned drink plenty of clear, non-carbonated water
• In the case of circulatory problems, bring them into a stable lateral position
• the Poison Control to contact
• in the event of severe and / or threatening symptoms of poisoning, call an emergency doctor immediately
• If available, administer activated charcoal (belongs in every medicine cabinet anyway!)

Under no circumstances should the person concerned drink milk or be made to vomit! In principle, however, intoxication caused by oral ingestion by Skimmia is without major complications and is therefore not very dangerous. The plant is only considered to be slightly poisonous.

tip: There is no nationwide uniform telephone number for the poison emergency call, as this is attached to certain clinics and hospitals in special local centers. Hence, you should do that for your City or region valid number always have them ready, for example pinned to the bulletin board. This is especially important if you have children.

sources

Roth, Lutz (u. a.): Poisonous plants Plant poisons: Poisonous plants from A - Z, emergency help, occurrence, effect, therapy, allergic and phototoxic reactions. Nikol Verlag, Hamburg. 1994. (A book)
http://www.gifte.de/Giftpflanzen/skimmia_japonica.htm
http://www.giftpflanzen.com/
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skimmia_japonica
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skimmien
https://www.deutsche-apotheker-zeitung.de/daz-az/2010/daz-31-2010/photodermatitis-nach-kontakt-mit-diptam
https://www.bvl.bund.de/DE/Arbeitsbereiche/01_Lebensmittel/03_Verbraucher/09_InfektionenIntoxikationen/02_Giftnotrufzentralen/lm_LMVergiftung_giftnotrufzentralen_node.html
https://www.kindergesundheit-info.de/themen/sicher-aufwachsen/notfall-infos/giftinformationszentralen-giftnotruf/

Note: Please note that this article does not in any way replace a visit to the doctor. There is no guarantee that medical statements are correct.
You will find detailed information on first aid in the event of poisoning and important information on poison control centers here.