POT POURRI - AROUND THE HOME

Beware of the dangers of Potpourri around the home. A recent article in the dog press tells of how two cavaliers got hold of some from a basket in the owner's living room. After playing with it, then eating some, within hours both were vomiting, convulsing and going into body rigidity and shock. The pot pourri was prepared in India and bought from a well known supermarket here in the UK. The vet diagnosed strychnine poisoning symptoms and because of failing conditions, both dogs were put to sleep. The distraight owner devoted her time researching her concerns and has since found there is a laboratory in England that has case studies on toxic pot pourri from India. The toxin is strychnine, which is in its commercial source and comes from a tree grown in India. After researching for more information, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew is discovering more about the plants used in pot pourri because of concern amongst retailers regarding possible health risks associated with its ingredients. The Centre for Economic Botany runs a pout pourri identification and toxicity report service. The report authenticates the species and provides more information on any adverse reactions. Most of the 100 different samples a year seen at Kew have come from India. Prospective ingredients are usually labelled with common names by the supplier. These can be vague, one 'grass' from North America turned out to be Nolina texana in the plant family Dracaenaceae, while its leaves are safe, the fruits and flowers are toxic. Only a few items have had to be withdrawn, most notably the fruits of Strychnos nux-vomica (which is the commercial source of strychnine). Some like the pungent chillies (Capsicum annum var annum) are unsuitable because they can cause irritation when touched. Please be aware of the potential dangers of things like this in your homes and keep everything well out of reach of your animals. http://www.kew.org/plantfacts/potpourri/index.html Strychnine poisoning http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/213700.htm