Foxgloves are popular plants, sold at many nurseries and major retailers in our area. The tall perennials are full of white and purple flowers and even have some medicinal properties -- but they're also poisonous.
The foxglove was used in the late 1700s to treat congestive heart failure, according to Michael Balick, the head of the Institute of Economic Botany at New York Botanical Garden. But as is often the case with potent plants, it can also be toxic.
If a person "sees a little bite mark in the leaf, you need to worry," said Balick.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the entire plant is considered poisonous, and eating enough of it can be fatal. In small doses, the plant can cause an upset stomach.
Foxglove isn’t the only plant that's of concern. Daffodils are also toxic, and so are peace lilies and philodendron.
Balick says when those plants “get into the tongue or mucus membranes of the mouth, they can cause it to swell and potentially cut off breathing."
