Don’t go by looks, Nerium oleander plants can be dangerous!

The Nerium oleander plant is one of the shrubs spread over in our public gardens and planted along our main and branch streets.

Today, this tree has become common sight in our residential neighbourhoods, where it adorns the home gardens. This evergreen tree is characterised by its long branches, thick leaves, pink, yellow and white flowers.

The tree may be new for some, but it has long and old roots, even in Oman. Some sources indicate that people used it for many medicinal purposes in olden times.

Thus, the existence of this plant is for thousands of years, with ancient texts and popular narrations tell us its prevalence for more than 1500 years.

The Greeks, Babylonians, Romans, Arabs and Indians used them. Despite its toxicity, studies show that it has medicinal properties. The plant’s leaves and branches emit some juices, which people were using to treat many diseases, including dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, sores, tumours, asthma, malaria and diabetes.

Some substances of the tree were used even as tonic for the heart and an anti-bacterial agent that helped reduce the spread of cancer cells in the lung.

The oleander flower was also designed as an official symbol for the Japanese city of Hiroshima. It was the first flower that bloomed after the atomic bomb was dropped on the city in 1945.

Since the medicinal benefits of the tree is not foolproof, some studies confirm that it causes nausea, diarrhoea, lethargy and laziness, headache, stomach pain, and serious heart problems.

In addition, some plant sciences studies describe it as one of the dangerous sources of plant poisoning.

For example, the oleander tree has become notorious in Sri Lanka for its association in the minds as a ‘tool for suicide’. It causes them to faint and then die.

Some studies indicate that cooking over oleander wood may poison cooked food or grilled meat.

Some animals were given oleander extract as part of some study, and it was found that mammals were particularly sensitive to it, as there are chances of fatality among the cows, sheep and horses if they eat them and even if they drink water in which their leaves have fallen.

If a person consumes it by mistake, he should be immediately given medical attention. Induced vomiting and gastric lavage are used as preventive measures to reduce the body’s absorption of toxic compounds.

Cases of such poisoning among humans, however, have rarely been reported.

Oleander blooms throughout the summer until autumn, and its flowers vary in colour between pink, red, violet, white and yellow. They are widely planted as ornamental trees or as hedges around the lands in public and private parks. On the sides of streets and highways because it tolerates drought.

Its toxicity deters animals from tampering with it; it can be considered a natural insecticide. Agricultural sources indicate that the oleander tree is a beautiful evergreen tree that grows to a height of about six metres. It adapts to a wide variety of conditions, including semi-arid and temperate regions. It tolerates drought, wind, saltwater spray and wetland soil.

Some health and environmental specialists call for removing oleander trees because their leaves contain highly toxic substances to humans and animals and replace them with other trees. However, some assert that this plant is not poisonous unless a person eats from it equivalent of 30100 grams. The study draws on plants found in gardens in various world countries to help absorb air pollutants. In addition, scientists are currently looking at exploiting the health benefits of diluted oleander extracts, which are now used in medicines as immune system boosters and natural remedies for some diseases.

After going through the negative and positive facts about the tree, many people have started thinking carefully before starting to plant it in their homes.

“We are waiting for confirmation from the competent authorities about the effects of planting these trees in our homes”, some locals said.