Which flowers and plants are carcinogenic? Learn this before growing plants
More and more people are starting to give their homes a fresh, delicate look. With a potted flower or a potted succulent placed out, it feels like spring is one step closer. But did you know that some flowers and plants actually contain carcinogenic substances? If you want to grow plants with peace of mind, come and learn which flowers and plants contain carcinogenic substances.
The two sides of keeping green plants at home
Keeping green plants at home not only beautifies the environment and purifies the household, but also cultivates character, letting people forget the troubles of study and work and blend into a harmonious, relaxing natural environment. Although the pace of life has sped up nowadays, more people are spending their free time tending flowers and plants. Placing a small potted green plant at home relieves pressure and helplessness from all sides, and having a natural, healthy environment has become the pursuit of many people. However, not all plants can beautify the home and purify the environment. Some plants not only fail to do a good job of absorbing harmful substances, but also release substances harmful to the human body, and in serious cases can even cause cancer.
Academician Zeng Yi of the Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, studied the cancer-promoting effects of substances contained in plants, and detected cancer-promoting substances in 52 species of plants across 18 families out of 1,693 Chinese herbal medicines and plants. These plants mostly belong to the Euphorbiaceae and Thymelaeaceae families, among which some ornamental flowers and trees commonly seen in people's homes and parks, such as crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii), croton (Codiaeum variegatum), Chinese tallow tree (Sapium sebiferum), red-back osmanthus (Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Purpureus'), tung tree (Vernicia fordii) and Tinospora sagittata, all contain cancer-promoting substances.
These 52 plants containing carcinogenic substances are: croton (Codiaeum variegatum, also called garden croton), narrow-leaved croton (Codiaeum variegatum 'Excellent'), snow-on-the-mountain (Euphorbia marginata, also called ghost weed or white-edged spurge), crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii, commonly called 'ci er mei' by northerners and 'ba bao' in the Shantou area), red-back osmanthus (Excoecaria cochinchinensis, also called Chinese croton or red osmanthus), Sapium discolor (also called red-leaf sapium), tung tree (Vernicia fordii, also called tung-oil tree or opium poppy tree), wood tung (Vernicia montana, also called thousand-year tung), paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha, also called yellow auspicious flower, knot flower or golden belt), Guangdong wolf's bane (Alocasia macrorrhizos, also called giant taro or dripping Guanyin), blackberry lily (Belamcanda chinensis, also called flat bamboo, dragonfly flower or tail-dish flower), datura (Datura stramonium, commonly called big trumpet flower, with the Chinese medicine alias yangjinhua), red balsam (Impatiens balsamina, also called balsam or henna flower), golden dewdrop (Duranta erecta, also called golden dew flower), caper spurge (Euphorbia lathyris, also called qianjinzi), Wikstroemia indica (also called rao flower), Desmodium styracifolium (also called copper coin grass), candlenut (Aleurites moluccanus), bee-waist fig (Ficus sp.), rock croton (Croton sp.), hairy-fruited croton (Croton sp.), croton (Croton tiglium), crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii), cat's-eye spurge (Euphorbia sp.), sun spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia), Kansui (Euphorbia kansui), thousand-root grass (Euphorbia thymifolia), chicken-tail wood (Excoecaria sp.), multi-lobed physic nut (Jatropha multifida), red bird coral (Jatropha podagrica), Chinese tallow tree (Sapium sebiferum), round-leaved Chinese tallow tree (Sapium rotundifolium), fire thorn spurge (Euphorbia sp.), lilac daphne (Daphne genkwa), yellow lilac daphne (Daphne genkwa var.), soil agarwood (Aquilaria sp.), fine-stalked lilac daphne (Daphne sp.), sappanwood (Caesalpinia sappan), red-bud spurge (Euphorbia sp.), cleavers (Galium aparine), yellow-haired tofu wood (Premna sp.), iris (Iris sp.), silver-powder brake fern (Aleuritopteris argentea), yellow clematis (Clematis sp.), Tinospora sagittata, three-edge bulrush (Scirpus sp.), scissors grass (Ixeris sp.), hard-pod tree (Albizia sp.), broad-leaved kiwi (Actinidia latifolia), Hainan trichosanthes (Trichosanthes sp.), bitter almond (Prunus dulcis var. amara), and Huai achyranthes (Achyranthes bidentata). Iris is also called blue butterfly.
Therefore, when growing plants and flowers at home, be sure to first find out their characteristics and check whether they have carcinogenic effects and whether they are harmful to the body. Never keep poisonous things by your side.