What to Do If You Ingest Cyclamen
In the spring courtyard, the elegant flowers of cyclamen often make people overlook their potential dangers. As a representative of toxic plants in the Araceae family, this perennial herbaceous flower, although having medicinal value, poses many risks of accidental ingestion due to its entire plant being toxic. This article will thoroughly analyze the poisoning mechanism of cyclamen and provide a scientific first-aid plan.
In-Depth Analysis of Cyclamen Toxicity
Plant Characteristics and Distribution of Toxins
The whole plant of cyclamen contains calcium oxalate crystals and alkaloids, especially the corm, spathe, and spadix which are the most toxic. Its white juice can cause irritation upon contact with the skin, and ingesting 5 grams of fresh plant can reach the threshold for poisoning. Typical symptoms include oral burning, difficulty swallowing, and vocal cord swelling, which can lead to respiratory depression in severe cases.
Timeline of Poisoning Reactions
Numbness of the tongue appears within 30 minutes of ingestion, followed by vomiting and diarrhea within 1-2 hours. Individuals with special constitutions may experience arrhythmia. Children, due to their immature metabolic system, may have symptoms 15 minutes earlier than adults and more severely.
Four-Level First Aid Response Process
Stage One: Oral Treatment
Immediately rinse the mouth with cold water for 10 minutes to remove the remaining toxins. Do not swallow the rinse water, and a tongue depressor can be used to assist in clearing the crystalline deposits on the tongue.
Stage Two: Neutralization of Toxins
Mash 30 grams of fresh ginger and hold the juice in the mouth; ginger protease can partially decompose calcium oxalate. This can be combined with drinking strong green tea (containing ≥15% catechins) to delay toxin absorption.
Stage Three: Medical Intervention
Go to the hospital with a plant sample and receive an intravenous injection of a 10% calcium gluconate solution. Severe patients need to be treated with subcutaneous injection of atropine (0.5-1mg) to relieve smooth muscle spasms.
Stage Four: Rehabilitation Nursing
During the recovery period, maintain a liquid diet for 7 days and avoid acidic foods that may stimulate damaged mucosa. Clean the mouth with compound chlorhexidine solution 3 times a day to prevent secondary infections.
Triple Protection to Prevent Accidental Ingestion
When growing cyclamen at home, set up isolated areas and educate children about the dangers of the plant. For medicinal use, it must be processed by professionals, and the oral dose of the raw product should be strictly controlled at less than 0.2g. Regularly trim the inflorescence to prevent juice from dripping and polluting the environment.
Although cyclamen is beautiful, safety comes first. While mastering scientific first-aid knowledge, it is even more important to establish preventive awareness. If accidental ingestion occurs, please call 120 immediately and retain the vomit sample as key evidence for medical diagnosis.