Is boxwood toxic to humans and pets?

Boxwood in the gardens and front yards or cultivated in tubs on the terrace or balcony is common in our latitudes. Unfortunately, the evergreen plant is not completely harmless, because the flowers and young bark contain toxins. If these are ingested through the mouth, they can become dangerous. Small children and pets in particular are therefore at risk if plant parts are put in the mouth. For adults, however, the danger is relatively low, because simply touching it does not lead to poisoning.

Features boxwood

The boxwood is an evergreen plant that blooms from March to May. It is usually cultivated as a solitary bush or tree and as a hedge plant in domestic gardens, often in local cemeteries as well as in landscaped parks and green spaces. It is recognized by the following characteristics:

• can grow up to four meters high
• yellow, small flowers
• Leaves are ovate and leathery
• the small, black-brown fruits develop in autumn

Poisonous parts of plants

Especially the young bark and the blossoms of a box tree are poisonous. But the leaves and stems also contain the poison, so that all parts of it are highly toxic. It is precisely the cocktail of the various toxins contained in boxwood that makes it so dangerous, especially for children or pets who like to put the leaves or flowers in their mouths take. If these parts of the plant that have been put in the mouth are then swallowed, immediate action must be taken. there are up to 70 different alkaloids in the plant, and the following toxins have also been found in boxwood:

• buxanine
• buxtanine
• buxaltine
• buxpsiin
• and the main active ingredient buxin

protect children

Box trees can also often be found in nearby parks and cemeteries. Therefore, anyone who has small children should always keep an eye on them on walks or on the playground. Because the little ones in particular have fun and think nothing of using the leaves and flowers of plants, for example, for a cooking game in the sandpit. They quickly put one or the other piece in their mouth and, in the worst case, swallow it down. Therefore, caution is not only required for all parents and other supervisors when a box tree in your own garden, even outside of your home area, these can be dangerous for the children become. Therefore, attention should be paid to the following:

• if you have small children, you should avoid box trees in the garden
• plant plants cultivated in pots on the terrace or balcony so high that children cannot even reach for them
• always have the children nearby when visiting a cemetery, there are many box trees here
• let your gaze wander in the park or on the playground to see whether there are box trees in the immediate vicinity of the play area
• Older children can be told which plants are poisonous to them and which are not
• Even smaller children can playfully learn which plants they should not touch using posters
• a new garden is laid out, designed to be child-friendly
• all plants that could contain poisons are avoided when growing

protect pets

Pets must also be protected from the poisonous boxwood. So cats and dogs should not get near the plant. But even the smaller caged animals, such as rabbits or guinea pigs, like to nibble on all plants and could also get the poisonous leaves of the boxwood. Therefore, extreme caution is also required here and the following measures can be taken:

• if dogs or cats are free in the garden, the boxwood should be fenced high and wide
• in the case of cats, it is also important to ensure that this is a protection that they cannot climb up
• Only allow rabbits, guinea pigs and other caged animals into an outdoor enclosure that is far away from the poisonous plants

Symptoms of poisoning in humans and animals

If children, pets or even adults put parts of the poisonous boxwood in their mouths and possibly even swallowed, the following symptoms of poisoning can develop, depending on the amount of poison ingested show:

• nausea, diarrhea and vomiting
• dizziness
• Cramps, possibly accompanied by paralysis
• Tremble
• Drop in blood pressure that can result in circulatory collapse
• Depending on the amount of poison ingested, this can lead to death in the worst case
• here the smaller animals are endangered first, then the children and finally the adults
• because the amount absorbed is always in proportion to the size and weight

First measures

If poisoning was found in a person or pet and it was clearly recognized that it was from the boxwood comes, then as a first measure, medicinal charcoal can be administered here, which removes the toxins in the stomach binds. However, if you are not sure how bad the poisoning is, you should not hesitate to call the emergency number 112 for humans or even the local animal emergency number. Even if the amount of poison ingested was not life-threatening, this gives security.

Conclusion

If you have one or more box trees in your garden, you should not panic right away, as this should be harmful to humans or animals. Because with the appropriate measures, such as fencing or education about Poisonous plants in children, the graceful, evergreen bush does not become one even in your own garden Danger. But if you have a family with children and pets, you should probably think about using the garden for children and to make them pet-friendly and when creating a new garden towards poisonous plants of all kinds waive.

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