Poinsettias - killers or just irritating?

Q. There are reams of anecdotal reports that these plants are mildly to virtually non-toxic. However, recently a person reported losing a 6 month old kitten who was left with a newly acquired plant that not only had blossoms but also berries. On arriving home hours later that cat was found moribund, salivating and dying. Berries and leaves (petals) WERE missing from the plant.

So, my question is....is there a citable paper reporting on PRIMARY investigation into the toxicity of this plant in a species other than rats? In the paper with rats (which I have no first hand knowledge) were berries also fed? Where can I read this paper(s) on the rat studies?


A. Here are some references...

Poinsettia exposures have good outcomes...just as we thought.
<<Am J Emerg Med 1996 Nov14(7):671-4
Krenzelok EP, Jacobsen TD, Aronis JM
Pittsburgh Poison Center, the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and the Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, USA.
The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a much-maligned plant which is thought by the public and some health professionals to be extremely toxic. Despite pronouncements by public health officials to the contrary, the poinsettia continues to be recognized as a poisonous plant. To determine if there was any validity to the toxicity claims, 849,575 plant exposures reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers were electronically analyzed. Poinsettia exposures accounted for 22,793 cases and formed the subset that was analyzed to critically evaluate the morbidity and mortality associated with poinsettia exposures. There were no fatalities among all poinsettia exposures and 98.9 per cent were accidental in nature, with 93.3 per cent involving children. The majority of exposed patients (96.1 per cent ) were not treated in a health care facility and 92.4 per cent did not develop any toxicity related to their exposure to the poinsettia. Most patients do not require any type of therapy and can be treated without referral to a health care facility.

Toxicology of poinsettia.
<<Clin Toxicol 197813(1):27-45
Winek CL, Butala J, Shanor SP, Fochtman FW
1. The acute oral LD50 of poinsettia in Sprague Dawley rats were greater than 25 gm/kg for all plant parts tested.
2. Exaggerated oral dosing over a five-day period with as much as 125 gm/kg total dose did not produce any gross or microscopic pathology in Sprague Dawley rats.
3. A five-day total diet study of poinsettia produced no gross pathology in Sprague Dawley rats.
4. Poinsettia latex induced no local toxicity when instilled into the buccal cavity of Sprague Dawley rats.
5. Poinsettia latex induced no damage when instilled into the eyes of albino rabbits.
6. Upon repeated exposures poinsettia exhibited mild skin irritation in the albino rabbit. It is not considered to be a primary irritant.
7. Poinsettia induced skin photosensitivity in albino rabbits

Confusion over toxicity of poinsettia
<<J Am Vet Med Assoc 194[8] : 1004 Apr 15'89 Letter 6 Refs
-Based on acute feeding studies in rats and cases of dogs and cats ingesting poinsettias reported to the Hennepin Regional Poison Center, poinsettia may be a gastrointestinal irritant but is not associated with serious toxicosis.
The only signs of toxicosis after reportedly ingesting poinsettia were vomiting and diarrhea in 3/15 dogs and hypersalivation in 1/51 cats. However, follow up information was not available in all cases.

and from The Poinsettia Manual, 3rd Edition, by Paul Ecke, Jr et al.

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Q. The big debate at our clinic xmas party last night was whether poinsettas (sp) are toxic or not. I thought they contained ergot alkaloids and can cause nausea, and vomiting, but am unsure if there is a lethal threshold. Several others said that they 'heard' that 'now they are not considered toxic'. No one could justify their source and my tox book is unavailable to me at the moment. Any input, especially regarding your personal experience would be great!

A. This is a common question that comes up around this time of the year. Poinsettia is E. pulcherrima, a member of the Euphorbia spp. Many of these plants are toxic and contain the toxic principle euphorbin. The poinsettia has long been deemed highly toxic by folklore, and perhaps as a result of misidentification of another member of this family that resulted in a lethal toxicosis. Experiments with rats failed to produce a toxicosis. After fielding numerous calls at the Georgia Animal Poison Information Center from ingestions, it became obvious that most incidents of exposure do not reasult in much if any clinical signs. However, in instances where a small pet consumes large quantities - like if the entire plant is eaten by some 'think - after-you eat' lab puppy, considerable vomiting and diarrhea can occur. treatment is symtomatic and supportive.

Remember, this can also occur in many other 'nontoxic' plants as so many contain resins that can be fairly irritating to the gi tract. Bottom line - Poinsettia got a bum rap. Hope this helps some. Happy holidays!!
Mark