The ragwort is actually an attractive plant with its yellow flowers that are visible from afar. If it weren't for the toxic ingredients that can be dangerous to many animals but also to humans.
Is ragwort poisonous to humans?
Scarfwort is toxic to humans because it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are metabolized in the liver to produce toxic substances. Long-term exposure can cause liver damage, cancer and, in worst cases, death. Take particular care when consuming milk or honey.
How poisonous is the herb really?
Scalloped ragwort contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that are metabolized in the liver to produce toxic substances. Horses and pigs, but also cattle, react particularly sensitively to these substances. As the herb continues to spread, it poses a danger to humans that should not be underestimated. The toxic substances for which there is currently no uniform limit value have already been detected in milk and honey.
The warmer the more toxic
The poisonous substances of ragwort vary from plant to plant and can be detected in around 500 structures with different properties. The spectrum of effects on animals and humans ranges from harmless to absolutely toxic. A ragwort that grows at high altitudes in the Alps can be completely harmless, while one that grows in the lowlands can be highly poisonous. In principle, however, it can be said: the warmer the area in which ragwort thrives, the more toxic it is.
Danger to humans
Poisoning with ragwort can go unnoticed for a long time because no clear symptoms initially appear. The toxins are metabolized in the liver and have a long-term toxic effect there. Experts are of the opinion that the increasing number of liver diseases can also be attributed to the high number of unreported cases of ragwort poisoning in humans.
Unlike well-known poisonous plants such as belladonna, poisoning with ragwort occurs gradually over a longer period of time. Even small amounts of the toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids have a liver-damaging effect and are carcinogenic. If a large amount of ragwort is ingested unintentionally, it will lead to death from liver failure within a few days.
Tip
German honey has, as has since been proven, no or only very small amounts of ragwort alkaloids. Nevertheless, it makes sense to get the honey from a known source and to make sure that the beekeeper does not have his hives near ragwort stands.
