Nearly 80 years ago when an Army officer's 2-year old child died after allegedly eating a poinsettia leaf, the myth of the poisonous poinsettia was born.
Abundant evidence exists to debunk the myth, however.
Researchers at the Ohio State University, working in conjunction with the SAF, tested the effects of ingesting unusually high doses of the leaves, stems, and sap from the poinsettias and found the plant to be nontoxic. The American Medical Association's Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants lists occasional vomiting as a side effect of ingesting otherwise harmless poinsettia leaves. And in 1975 the Consumer Products Safety Commission cited lack of substantial evidence in its decision to deny a petition requiring warning labels for poinsettias. Of course poinsettias, like most ornamental plants, are not intended to be eaten by people or animals. But this universal holiday symbol can safely be displayed in any environment.