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Garden expert warns common cherry laurel plant ‘could kill you’ with one crucial mistake
There are almost 400,000 known species of plants and one that’s commonly found in gardens could actually kill you if you’re not careful.
An expert has warned that the cherry laurel, which is commonly used in garden hedges, is really poisonous if you make one crucial mistake – leave it in the car.
Cherry laurel plant ‘could kill you’
Speaking on TikTok, Garden Designer and Exterior Styling Specialist Lee Beestall explained that the dense evergreen plant, which has glossy, vibrant green leaves, releases a toxic gas called cyanide when it is cut.
It doesn’t pose much threat when it’s growing in your garden, but it’s when you trim it and put the branches into your car to take to the dump that it could become an issue. If the vehicle is not well-ventilated, or you leave the leaves in there for a few days, the cyanide levels can build up.
So, it’s really important to dispose of the plant immediately and keep your windows open when you are taking the branches to the dump.
All parts of the plant are toxic but the leaves and seeds are especially dangerous. Cherry laurel contains toxic cyanogenic glycosides, a study in the Toxins journal explains, which are poisonous to both humans and animals.
When ingested, the chemicals produce hydrogen cyanide, an extremely dangerous toxin that interferes with our body’s ability to use oxygen. Oxygen is essential to breathe and use energy, so cyanide poisoning can be life-threatening.
Cyanide is present in more than 2,000 plant species, some of which we eat including bamboo shoots, cassavas and the seeds or stones of apples, pears, cherries, apricots, pears, plums, prunes and peaches.
However, these foods do not contain enough cyanide to be a threat. A lethal dose is around 50300mg, Kew reveals, but one gram of apple seeds only contains about 0.6mg of cyanide and it is only exposed when the seed is broken.
Symptoms of cyanide poisoning
When cyanide is released into the air, you can be exposed to it through skin contact, eye contact and by inhaling it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains.
Symptoms of cyanide exposure include chest pain, chest tightness, confusion, dizziness, difficulty breathing, headache, nausea, shortness of breath, weakness and wheezing. You may also experience eye pain, eye tearing, excitement, rapid or slow heart rate, rapid or slow breathing and restlessness.
These symptoms can progress very quickly when exposed to a large amount of cyanide, which can lead to coma, death, high or low blood pressure, loss of consciousness, lung injury and seizures in the worst cases.
As well as being released from certain plants, cyanide is also used to make paper, textiles, and plastics. It is present in the chemicals used to develop photographs too, and cyanide salts are used in metal cleaning and removing gold from its ore.
Cyanide gas is used to exterminate pests and vermin as well and it sometimes gives off a ‘bitter almond’ smell, but can also be odorless.
Take extra care next time you’re trimming your cherry laurel hedge!
