A Scourge of Spurge - Public Service Announcement

As a San Diego County native who has lived in Fallbrook for over thirty years, I have noticed a dangerous trend that I think people should be aware of. The plant pictured above is a euphorbia trigona. Euphorbia are a cactus like family that is found in Africa and temperate zones around the world. Euphorbia is a genus of plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. There are over two thousand varieties. Most of these varieties have a sap that can hurt you very badly.

I often see these plants by people's front doors, walkways, at Home Depot. What most people fail to realize is that they can hurt you and sometimes kill you. Euphorbia sap can blind you if it gets in your eye and cause what is reportedly the worst pain one could ever experience. The latex like goo can cause severe blisters and can be fatal after topical application and particles can even migrate through the air. People have ended up in the hospital with anaphylactic shock. Check out this link and read about the potentially harmful effects from the various types of euphorbia. Another link, that recounts horrible anecdotal stories of cancer, death and permanent blindness related to exposure to these plants. According to this article, which gives you some guides for treatment, several of the Di- and Triterpens contained in the sap promote tumors. This means, they do not cause cancer but can promote or accelerate cancerous growth.

I was talking to Don Newcomer, a cactus and succulent expert at Serra Gardens, a nursery he owns on Santa Margarita Rd., about the euphorbias. He told me that he is amazed at how nonchalant people are around this dangerous plant and genus. He told me that there is only one antidote for the poison and most hospitals are unaware of it, the only known cure is Aeonium lindleyi. And who in the hell knows what it is, where to find it, or what it looks like? And if you do find some, how do you use it?

I knew a man at Good Earth years ago who got some euphorbia sap in his eye and ended up in the hospital. He said that it was the worst pain he had ever felt. If you have it in your yard, keep it away from children, pets and other humans. You have been warned. Please be careful.

Aeonium lindleyi

From Wiki: The latex (milky sap) of spurges acts as a deterrent for herbivores. Usually it is white, drying colourless, but in rare cases (e.g. E. abdelkuri) yellow. As it is under pressure, it runs out from the slightest wound and congeals within a few minutes of contact with the air. Among the component parts are many diterpene or triterpene esters, which can vary in composition according to species, and in some cases the variant may be typical of that species. The terpene ester composition determines how caustic and irritating to the skin it is. In contact with mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) the latex can produce extremely painful inflammation. In experiments with animals it was found that the terpene ester resiniferatoxin had an irritating effect 10,000 to 100,000 times stronger than capsaicin, the "hot" substance found in chili peppers. Several terpene esters are also known to be carcinogenic.

Therefore spurges should be handled with caution. Latex coming in contact with the skin should be washed off immediately and thoroughly. Partially or completely congealed latex is often no longer soluble in water, but can be removed with an emulsion (milk, hand-cream). A physician should be consulted regarding any inflammation of a mucous membrane, especially the eyes, as severe eye damage including possible permanent blindness may result from acute exposure to the sap. It has been noticed, when cutting large succulent spurges in a greenhouse, that vapours from the latex spread and can cause severe irritation to the eyes and air passages several metres away. Precautions, including sufficient ventilation, are required. Small children and domestic pets should be kept from contact with spurges.