Is The Jade Plant Toxic to Humans and Pets? Here’s 4 Facts You Need To Know Before You Have It (2021)


What Is Jade Plant? Where Is It Originated From?

It is a member of the Crassulaceae families known by the botanical name Crassula ovata.

Many people are asking, is the Jade plant toxic to humans? Is it safe for us?  Is it child friendly? 

It’s safe but yet there’s some fact that you need to know…

…before you can have Jade Plants as one of your plant collections in your house.

Check this out:

Benamed for its similarity to the precious gemstone, Jade Tree has dazzling cactus-like…

…green-blue, humidity-retaining leaves, and brilliant sparkle.

The 2-inch long, fleshy, oblong leaves are fixed to the woody trunks.

The plant grows up to a height of 6″ feet.

In spring, the appeal of the plant increases with the lovely miniature…

…star-shaped flowers in variegated colors of white, pink, orange, and purple.

It is very important to fertilize jade plants properly as they grow like that.

Golden jade
Credit: https://debraleebaldwin.com/crassula-photos-labeled-free-to-use/

This succulent houseplant, originating in South Africa’s drylands…

…and it can be spread and maintained very easily even in your home. 

The jade plant is a common plant and many people wonder if the jade is toxic.

Growing and caring for this plant is relatively easier…

….but special care must be taken if keeping the plant in a house with pets and children


Is it toxic?

This is the truth about Jade Plant:

Jade plant 3
Credit: https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2020/06/22/stan-silverman-toxic-leaders-drive-out-talent.html

The Jade Tree is a toxic plant, which causes slight signs such as vomiting and diarrheal…

…and has been shown to be slightly toxic to humans on ingestion.

However, according to ASPCA, Jade plants are classified as highly toxic plants for dogs and cats.

Your pets may develop signs of poisoning jades if your cat or dog takes a bite.

Jade plant 4
Credit: https://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/houseplant/jade-plant/

Toxic parts

All parts of the Jade tree are considered poisonous

Here’s the interesting part…

While the substance responsible for the toxicity of the plant remains unknown.

It is advised to keep the pets away from the leaves, flowers, stems, and roots of the plant.

Avoid contact with the sap or thorns.

Now:

The symptoms

The symptoms of skin irritation include itching or burning sensation

Jade plant 5
Credit:https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321034

Jade plant shows signs of mild toxicity to humans when the sap or juice…

…of the plant comes in contact with the skin.

Eating the plant in a considerable quantity causing minor health issues like diarrhea and vomiting.

Immediately go to the doctor to get first aid treatment.

So here’s the second part, are Jade Plants poisonous to our pets?

Let us hear Tamaya’s Story…

January 15th, 2021

I dont know what to say..

…It’s all happen so fast, I couldn’t even imagine this thing will be happen to us

…I can believe he will leave us so fast…

…Doston is like our own child, we raise him from the baby, we foster him from the street…

…Finally he can find his forever home, but it was all changed after he eat

… my jade plants

…I can’t ever imagine from eating that plant

…can leading Doston to death.

My only one dog, has gone..forever.

Above is the true story from Tamaya, sounds extreme?

From that story we can see that Jade Plant can cause sickness to pets and may lead it to death.

Well this article will inform you about how to prevent it from happening to your pets.

Keep Reading…

Jade plant 6
Credit: https://rutherfordsource.com/signs-look-dog-sick/

In cats and dogs, the symptoms are more severe.

The digestive system of the animals reacts to the toxins present in the plant.

Your pets may show signs of depression, weakness, and lethargy.

You may notice your pet being aggressive or shy.

In some rare cases, the symptoms of poisoning are more severe, such as convulsions, reduction in heart rate, and impaired muscle movement.

The symptoms can range from mild to severe depending on the quantity of the plant ingested.

Jade plants are very poisonous to dogs, cats, and horses. Signs that your pet may have ingested the plant are vomiting, depression, and incoordination. Jade plants cause their heart rate to slow which results in the lethargy. If you think your pet has eaten Jade plants, seek medical attention immediately.said The American Society for The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Here’s the data

From the journal that wrote by Dan D. Petersen, experienced Toxicologist who works at EPA ( United States Environmental Protection Agency), it tells about “Common plant toxicology: A comparison of national and Southwest Ohio data trends on plant poisonings in the 21st century”.

As we can see from the graph below, Jade Plant has a quite high call to poison center average year 2000 to 2008 where it takes almost 1000 calls.

Source: (Petersen, 2011)

Jade plant 7

Keep reading…

Preventing Act

These toxic plants should be kept out of the reach of pets and children.

The plants must be handled with care and the sap and thorns should be avoided from direct contact with humans or pets.

Here’s the deal:

Wear gloves when the plant is potted or trimmed to prevent direct contact to the plant.

Do not ever eat any part of Jade Plant, cause the bacteria on that plant can lead…

…to mild toxication resulting in diarrhea and vomiting.

Make sure to throw out any broken stem that falls off the tree.

If you feel that it’s a waste to throw it, you can check out this article..

…about how to grow broken stems from Jade Plant.

For the pets, you may want to spray the parts of Jade Plants, especially the leaves…

…with a healthy and plant-based spray to make your pets don’t want to go near to the plant…

Jade plant 8
Credit: https://www.inspireuplift.com/Claws-Garden-Gloves/iu/817

…because of the smell they don’t like or position them onto an undesirable surface…

…such as tinfoil at the bottom of it or put it into high level surfaces that can’t be reached from your pets.

Additionally, make sure your pet has other toys or objects around that they have no intention to play around with your Jade plants. 

If your pets already eat, as fast as you can just remove chunks out of the mouth…

…and take them to a poison-control center or call the vet after they have taken a bite on some parts of the jade plants. 

If the animal shows severe symptoms, the doctor will perform the standard evacuation…

…econtamination, and may keep the pet under observation.

You must do it as soon as possible to prevent the toxic spreading to all over the body.

Keep local emergency veterinarian hospital telephone numbers…

…and the National Control Center of Animal Poison numbers: 1-888-426-4435.


Sum Up

Okay, let’s sum it up from the first. Jade plants originated from Africa land…

..and it is named from the precious gemstone Jade itself because of the similarity…

…and the beauty of this plant. Jade plant is a poisonous plant that can be harmful to humans and pets.

 Keep it in mind to take care of it very carefully and be full of caution.


Conclusion

So what do you think? Even though it looks beautiful and cool, a Jade plant can cause a lot of trouble

…if you do not take care of it with full caution and care, especially if there’s children and pets. 

If you are up with the challenge and you are a responsible person or you want to challenge yourself to be more careful with things…

…and you love plants, Jade plants can be a good shot to have it.

If you want to know more how to take care and growing this plant. You can click this for more info!

Or do you have any recommendation plants that are good to grow? 

Or maybe you have a question about something that you read?

Either way go ahead and leave a comment below right now! See ya next time!


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