Is the victim a child?

Did he/she possibly get Euphorbia sap into the mouth or eyes?

Call the emergency number immediately before doing anything else and report:

- What? (in this case: poisoning by Euphorbia sap)

- Who got poisoned? (Age and body weight)

- How?

- When

- How much?

- Describe any symptoms, especially state of consciousness and breathing.

All tips below are for adults only.

Typical complaints are:

Strong burning pain on mucous membranes or tender body parts

(lips, nose, private parts)

Wash the painful area carefully to remove remaining traces of sap. Cool with cold water or ice and see a doctor.

Very severe, burning pain in the eye

Rinse the eye with lukewarm water as thoroughly as you can. Then see an ophthalmologist immediately. Outside normal consulting hours it will have to be the emergency rooms.

Tell your ophthalmologist that the cause of your problem is Euphorbia sap. The doctor will then rinse the eye again which will be necessary to remove any possible remains of the coagulated latex.

Even doctors can not know everything, and possibly your doctor is not familiar with the effects of Euphorbia sap. In this case tell him the following:

- Cause of the irritation are the Di- and Triterpens, not the pH-value.

- These substances are known to cause severe irritation. Some of them have an effect a hundred times the effect of Capsacain (irritant of Chilli peppers)

Please read also:

Eye burns caused by wolf's milk

The effect of the sap of Euphorbiaceae on the eye

Ask your doctor to contact the Poison Information Centre for advice of treatment, if in any doubt.

Keep your calm. With medical treatment your pain will be gone after 24 hours at the latest, or will at least be bearable.

Please consult your local directory for the Poison Information Centre nearest to you.

You got the sap on your skin but feel no discomfort?

Several of the Di- and Triterpens contained in the sap promote tumours. This means, they do not cause cancer but can promote or accelerate cancerous growth. If you do not want to suffer from any later complications, carefully wash off even the smallest splashes immediately.

Fanden Sie diese Seite ohne einen linken Rahmen, laden Sie bitte www.euphorbia.de

If you found this page without a left frame please load www.euphorbia.de