What are poisonous cacti

Throughout the history of humanity there has always been, and surely always will be, a group of people who begin to spread a myth that does not reflect reality. If we talk about succulents, plants that have evolved to live in conditions where other plant beings would have it very difficult, we find one that may surprise us: the "existence" of poisonous cacti. Are there really poisonous cacti?

We know that many species have long and very sharp spines, that if they stick in us they can do us considerable damage. But, What are poisonous cacti? 

Poisonous cacti: myth or reality?

The truth is that they do not exist. There are no poisonous cacti. What there are are hallucinogenic cacti, like those of the genus Lophophora or Trichocereus pachanoi, which if consumed in excess will cause many health problems. But poisonous cacti as there are poisonous plants, such as oleander or castor bean, we will not find.

However, and as we mentioned before, we have to be careful with the thorns. There are some that are long and sharp, and others that are very tiny. The former, if we are careless, could get through our skin, and the others cling to clothing simply when passing by them.

If we handle cacti frequently, the best option is buy some gardening gloves to EVITED these problems.

How to remove cactus thorns from skin or clothing?

There are several ways to do it:

• With tweezers: if a long one has been nailed to us, we can easily remove it with tweezers, and even with our fingers.
• With zeal: if what we have on our skin or on our clothes are a lot of very short thorns, like those of the Opuntia, we can take heat and remove them.
• With a needle previously disinfected with alcohol: if a thorn has gotten into our skin, we can try to remove it with a previously disinfected needle. It is very, very important that it is perfectly clean, since otherwise the wound could become infected and cause us a lot of pain. For the same reason, try not to push too hard.

When to see the doctor?

Wounds caused by having a thorn removed with a needle usually heal on their own. With a wash with warm water and soap it is solved most of the time. However, If it becomes inflamed or the pain increases, the ideal is to go to the doctor.

So keep this in mind: enjoy your cacti, but watch out for thorns 🙂.