• Scientific research from the Ohio State University has proven the poinsettia to be non-toxic to both humans and pets. All parts of the plants were tested, including the leaves and sap.
  
  
• According to POISINDEX, the national information center for poison control centers, a child would have to ingest 500-600 leaves in order to exceed the experimental doses that found no toxicity.
  
  
• A study by the Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University found that out of 22,793 reported poinsettia exposures there was essentially no toxicity significant of any kind. The study used national data collected by the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
  
  
• As with non-food product, however, the poinsettia is not meant to be eaten
  and can cause varying degrees of discomfort; therefore; the plant should
  be kept out of the reach of young children and curious pets.
  
  
• “The professional members of the Texas State Florists’ Association would like to inform the public that the poinsettia plant is a safe and a beautiful way to decorate for the holidays,” stated John Priest, President of the Texas State Florists’ Association.

Poinsettia Falsely Accused
Since 1919, stories unconfirmed by medical or scientific fact have circulated about the poinsettia. According to one tale, the 2-year-old child of an Army officer stationed in Hawaii died from eating a poinsettia bract (leaf). There was never any medical documentation to back up this story. Even though it was proved unfounded, it has helped scare people into thinking that the poinsettia is poisonous. It has led to the belief that parts of the plant, if ingested by humans or pets, could be lethal.

Research Conducted
To alleviate the public’s fear concerning the poinsettia’s alleged toxicity, the floral industry launched a scientific investigation. The objective: to determine whether there is any truth to the charge that the poinsettia (scientific name: euphoria pulcherrima) is poisonous. The Society of American Florists (SAF), the national trade association representing all facets of the floral industry, collaborated with The Ohio State University on this poinsettia research project.

The research was conducted by Robert P. Stone and W.J. Collins, members of the Academic Faculty of Entomology at The Ohio State University. They established that the rat, when given unusually high doses of various portions of the poinsettia, shows no mortality, no symptoms of toxicity, and no changes in dietary intake or general behavioral patterns.

Animal tests are accepted as valid by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission in determining whether any product or natural growth is harmful to human health. Thus, if a product is found to be harmful, it is subject to labeling as require by the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.

The Ohio State University research on the poinsettia plant effectively disproved the charge that the poinsettia is harmful to human and animal health if parts of the plant are ingested.

Support For the Poinsettia
American Medical Association - According to the AMA Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants, the poinsettia has been found to produce either no effect, orally or topically, or occasional cases of vomiting.

The POISINDEX
The POISINDEX Information Service, the primary information resource used by the majority of poison control centers around the country, states that a 50 pound child would have to ingest one and one quarter pounds of poinsettia bracts (500 to 600 bracts) to surpass experimental doses. At those levels there was no toxicity.

Government
In 1975, the Consumer Product Safety Commission was petitioned by a citizen who demanded that poinsettias carry caution labels when offered for sale to the public. After reviewing all available information relating to the poinsettia, the Commission denied the petition. The Commission pointed out that poinsettia bracts, like leaves of many other plants, may cause varying degrees of discomfort if eaten and should be placed out of the reach of small children.

- Information is provided by SAF