Is Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane) Poisonous? Learn About Its Toxicity Before Deciding How to Grow It

The sap of Dieffenbachia is toxic, with the tissue fluid in the stem being the most toxic. If the sap gets on your hands or skin, it can cause an allergic reaction, producing patches or an intensely itchy sensation, and scratching without thinking will only make the itching worse.

If Dieffenbachia is ingested, about 1 hour after an excessive internal dose symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, headache and dizziness, excessive salivation, loss of appetite, blurred vision and fatigue appear; in more severe cases there is abdominal pain and diarrhea, a feeling of pressure in the precordial region, numbness of the limbs, coldness of the extremities, pale skin, blurred vision, slow heartbeat and decreased blood pressure; in serious cases the patient may become restless, experience convulsions, coma and dilated pupils, and various arrhythmias may occur, such as premature ventricular beats, atrioventricular block, atrial or ventricular tachycardia, atrioventricular dissociation, atrial fibrillation, or sinus bradycardia, sinoatrial block and junctional rhythm, etc.

Dieffenbachia is divided into the genus Dieffenbachia and the genus Aglaonema, and the toxicity of these two varieties is different.

However, Dieffenbachia can remove harmful substances such as nicotine and formaldehyde. Growing Dieffenbachia will create a perfect living space for the home environment. Dieffenbachia is usually placed in the living room or bedroom for decorative and ornamental purposes, making people feel refreshed. In addition, Dieffenbachia also has an effect on indoor air by absorbing indoor toxic gases and exhaust fumes, releasing oxygen and purifying the air, which is especially beneficial for elderly people with relatively weak immunity.

Therefore, although Dieffenbachia has a certain toxicity, it can also greatly improve our living environment; it is just that we need to manage it properly when growing it.