Poisonous plant hogweed. A little history

hogweed

What do we know about the hogweed plant? Yes a little. Only that when its juice gets on the skin, burns appear. Meanwhile, poisonous plant hogweed Previously, it was a valuable fodder crop, and all collective farms of the Soviet Union were engaged in its cultivation.

It all started when Stalin learned at one time that hogweed is successfully used in North America as a valuable fodder crop. Agriculture was in complete collapse after the war, and therefore they “grabbed at the hogweed like a straw,” which was supposed to help provide a food supply. Hogweed cultivated, and continued to grow under Khrushchev and Brezhnev.

But, in the 90s, during a time of general desolation, the cultivation of hogweed was abandoned. And the poisonous hogweed plant did not forgive this. Now, uncontrollably, it has begun to self-propagate and occupy more and more land. And knowledgeable people warned Stalin about this. Now, all this has come to life, and hogweed from a cultivated plant has turned into a poorly destroyed weed.

Besides, hogweed is poisonous! Moreover, it is so poisonous that “communication” with this plant can be fatal.

The fact is that in all parts of the plant during the growing season they accumulate coumarins and furocomarins – photodynamic substances that increase the photosensitivity of the skin that has received hogweed juice. This is usually expressed by blisters that appear on the skin, which turn brown over time and gradually disappear.

Most often, young children suffer from hogweed. But it happens that adults also get burns when they try to destroy a plant with their bare hands. In this regard, some rules for “communicating” with this plant have been developed.

  • It is better not to touch the plant at all.
  • If there is a need to destroy it, then you need to act in the dark, wearing protective waterproof clothing and goggles.
  • If contact with hogweed juice occurs, the contact areas must be washed with laundry soap. If blisters appear, measures are taken that are always prescribed after burns.