Is night-blooming jasmine toxic? A scientific look at the toxicity of night-blooming jasmine

Night-blooming jasmine, as its name suggests, only becomes fragrant at night. Our deepest impression of it is that strong scent. Some people wonder about this fragrance and suspect whether it might be toxic, so today we will give you a clear, science-based explanation. After all, is night-blooming jasmine toxic?

Here we will explain why night-blooming jasmine blooms, whether it is toxic, and some planting precautions.

The reason night-blooming jasmine blooms at night is that it relies on moths and insects active at night for pollination, attracting countless insects to pollinate it with its rich nighttime fragrance. Even on rainy days it can still give off an alluring scent. Night-blooming jasmine is toxic, so it can drive away mosquitoes, which is also a convenience in daily life. Usually a screen is fitted over the window, and the plant is grown outdoors.

Most floral scents are good for health, but night-blooming jasmine is an exception. When people remain surrounded by this intense scent for a long time, it is bound to harm their health; even with famous fragrant flowers such as narcissus and roses, over time, especially when breathing in these scents during sleep, they can make a person uncomfortable. If too many fragrant flowers are placed indoors and the scent is too strong, it will excite the nerves, and in particular, smelling it for a long time in the bedroom can cause insomnia.

Although night-blooming jasmine gives off a delicate fragrance at night, letting people fall asleep accompanied by its scent, not everyone can tolerate it. This is because night-blooming jasmine is an oxygen-consuming flower and plant: during the day, when it carries out photosynthesis, it consumes a large amount of oxygen, and at night, when photosynthesis stops, it releases a large amount of waste gas and gives off strongly irritating particles that stimulate the sense of smell, which can make patients with high blood pressure and heart disease prone to dizziness, depression and discomfort, and can even worsen their condition. Therefore, night-blooming jasmine should not be planted in the rooms of patients with high blood pressure and heart disease. In this respect, then, night-blooming jasmine does not count as a good feng shui plant.

From the above, we should have a clear understanding of night-blooming jasmine: it is toxic, and although it has the effect of repelling mosquitoes, it also does a certain amount of harm to the human body. So we need to know how to plant it, where it is suitable to plant it, and also avoid breathing in its fragrance for long periods.