Merely standing underneath mistletoe may evoke osculatory responses in some people. The rootstock of this plant is very toxic while the stem and leaves are less toxic and fruits the least toxic. The plant grows widely in eastern U.S. and is found mostly in waste places. Hogs have been poisoned by eating the rootstocks. The young shoots can be used as a boiled vegetable, but leaf and stem parts become poisonous upon maturation of the plant.
Some people use the berries to make pies.
Ericaceae Rhododendron spp. Symptoms include watering of mouth, eyes, and nose, slow pulse, vomiting, low blood pressure, convulsions, lack of coordination and progressive paralysis of arms and legs until death. It is frequently found as a weed along roadsides, ditches and in waste areas. Poison hemlock was the source of poison with which Socrates was put to death. It contains several alkaloids which are chemically related to nicotine.