The different types of agave regularly cause uncertainty among hobby gardeners: While on the one hand the toxicity of the plants is reported, on the other hand there are also numerous types of use of certain agave components for human consumption.
Agave plants are poisonous to humans?
Agaves are generally classified as mildly poisonous plants whose ingredients such as essential oil, saponins and oxalic acid can cause skin irritation. Agave thorns can cause injuries that heal slowly - caution is advised.
On the dangers of agaves
Basically, the danger of agave must be put into perspective: Although different types of agave can have different ingredients in and on the leaves, the agave is generally classified as a less poisonous plant. However, the danger with agaves also lurks elsewhere. The sharp spines on the tips and sometimes also on the edges of the leaves sometimes cause painful injuries that only heal very slowly. The agave is perhaps only dangerous in that it can sometimes be confused with aloe vera by uninformed gardeners.
Ingredients and possible effects of agave
The slightly poisonous agaves usually contain the following ingredients:
- essential oil
- Saponins
- Oxalic acid
- 0, 4 to 3% hecogenin
After the agaves were imported to Europe, parts of the plants were also promoted here as natural remedies for certain diseases such as warts or constipation. However, you should refrain from carrying out your own experiments in this regard, as the concentration of the active ingredients in the leaves fluctuates greatly and laypeople cannot therefore correctly estimate the dosage. If the agave juice gets on the skin or even the mucous membranes, it can lead to severe skin irritation and conjunctivitis.
The use of different types of agave
Mainly in Mexico, agaves still represent an important economic factor today. While the so-called sisal agave supplies the raw material for sisal cords with the threads of its leaves, the juices of the blue agave are used to produce tequila and mezcal used. Since agaves also contain a lot of sugar, they are specifically grown for the production of the sweetener agave syrup.
Tip
If the sap appears when repotting or cutting the agave in the garden, you should urgently wash your hands before touching your eyes. To prevent injuries from the sharp spines, you can put small pieces of cork on the ends of the leaves.
