Giant hogweed causes dozens of chemical burns every summer. The plant is also spreading more and more in Austria.
The monster plant, once introduced from the Caucasus – in Latin botanical terms appropriately called ‘Heracleum giganteum’ – shoots up to five meters into the air. The supposedly harmless ornamental plant has long since escaped from our gardens and prefers to take root at the edges of forests, in meadows, at the water’s edge, on wastelands, but also in our own green paradise.
The advance of the plant becomes a danger
Its advance is unstoppable and is becoming an ever greater danger! “The bio-invasor, also called hogweed or Hercules weed, is poisonous, causes severe skin irritation or causes severe allergic reactions,” warns the well-known “adventure gardener” Reinhard Kittenberger from Schiltern near Langenlois (Lower Austria).
It is mainly the sap of the poisonous plant that causes injuries. Because in combination with sunlight, the Goliath can – once it has ‘clawed’ itself – cause severe burns on all kinds of skin surfaces. For particularly sensitive people, simply coming into contact with the leaves of the Caucasus Gorge is enough. According to TCM doctor Dr. Helmut Faulenbach from St. Pölten, patients then complained of nausea, fever, sweating and circulatory shock. Some of those attacked struggled with weeping wounds for weeks.
17 hikers injured
Recently, 17 German hikers had to pay painfully for their botanical ignorance. Four of the victims were taken to hospital. To save the honor of the giant hogweed: it fulfills an important ecological role as a bee pasture. However, the following applies: keep your distance! Because the exotic plant can no longer be stopped: a single one can produce up to 50,000 seeds!
You should also avoid the blue monkshood, which is considered the most poisonous plant in Europe according to the Austrian Society for Civil Protection. Poisoning is even possible through skin contact. The first signs appear after just a few minutes. Even death by respiratory paralysis is possible
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
