One of the most common topic of discussion in South India is about Euphorbia Plants. I have heard that several people talking about Euphorbia plants are causing cancer and it has to be destroyed. Several people in my locality have uprooted the Euphorbia plants and threw them in to the canal or burnt to ashes. By reading this you may think that this plant is cheap. But actually it is more expensive. Since it is topic of common discussion I collected some details from the internet. The findings are given below.
Euphorbia milii
Euphorbia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. Euphorbiaceae contains more than two thousand species. It is primarily found in Africa and America. I am not saying much about the family Euphorbiaceae. Actually there is no true evidence showing that Euphorbia causes cancer. But it is true that the latex of Euphorbia causes irritation to the skin. It causes more harm if its latex comes in to contact with the eyes.
The website theamateursdigest.com mentions several incidents supporting that the latex of Euphorbia causes irritation and swelling It also reiterates that tha Euphorbia plants are dangerous if handled carelessly. But the website does not states that Euphorbia causes cancer. I recommend this website to everyone who want to know more about the harmful effects of Euphorbia.
The most commonly grown Euphorbia plants in Kerala is Euphorbia milii. If is a flowering plant usually grown in gardens (before the rumour spreads). In China, E.milii is used for making herbal medicines. US National Library of Medicine National Institute of health in its website informs that E. milii crude latex does not act as a tumor promoting agent on the mouse back skin assay, after conducting test on mice.
Euphorbia milii
While the a website kerala9.com reports that the health department of Kerala State has informed that the rumours that Euphorbia causes cancer is baseless and they haven’t appointed anyone to advice the public to remove plants from their home.
If you have any additional information or suggestions, please comment below….