Ohio Researchers Say Poinsettia’s Poison Reputation Is a Bum Rap

This year, Americans are expected to buy about 42 million poinsettias to celebrate the holidays, even though the Christmas plant often gets a bum rap for safety.

According to the News USA syndicate, many people have believed poinsettia leaves are poisonous ever since rumors that a child died from eating them began shortly after World War I. But while the poinsettia is not an edible plant, it is actually quite safe, according to experts.

In the 1970s, researchers at Ohio State University and Duquesne University tested the poinsettia as a health risk and concluded a 50 pound child could eat more than 500 poinsettia leaves without becoming seriously ill, the syndicate reported.

The American Medical Assn. has never reported a serious illness caused by eating the poinsettia, which was brought to the United States from Mexico by U.S. Ambassador Joel Poinsett in 1825. If children do eat the leaves, some doctors suggest a little milk or ice cream to avoid an upset stomach.