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'Poinsettias are not a cause for poisoning concerns'

Can poinsettias kill you? There's a long-standing rumor about the red-and-green flowers traditionally associated with Christmas being deadly if eaten. Janna Day, a nurse and the education and outreach manager at the Iowa Poison Control Center, says that's simply an urban legend that is not true.

"Unfortunately, poinsettias have really gotten a bad reputation over the years, and a lot of folks think that they are poisonous and that they could hurt you or even kill you," Day says, "but what we have found is that really they're not as toxic as maybe we once thought."

One study found that a child would have to eat as many as 500 poinsettia leaves to become poisoned. Aside from that, Day says the leaves taste terrible so no one would likely ever eat a lethal dose of them. They're a lovely plant, she says, and they shouldn't concern you.

Read more at Radio Iowa

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