This one is for my fellow botanists out there... I have been working on my plant ID skills in anticipation for the upcoming field season. So, I took a plant I already knew, bouncingbet (Saponaria officinalis), and ran through the key with it. For fun, I did a google search of it, and here is what I found....
Under facts and folklore: Early beer brewers took advantage of bouncingbet's soaplike properties by using its juice to produce a frothy "head" on beer.
That was listed after the toxicity paragraph: The soaplike action of bouncingbet when crushed in water is attributed to natural chemicals called saponins (types of glycosides) that are poisonous to livestock and humans. All parts of the plant are toxic, especially the seeds and roots. Ingestion of bouncingbet may cause severe gastrointestinal irritation, and lead to destruction of red blood cells if the saponins are absorbed in the bloodstream. Signs of poisoning include vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Animals usually avoid eating bouncingbet because of its bitter taste. Poisonings most often occur when prepared feeds are contaminated with bouncingbet seeds or foliage (the toxic properties remain in dried plant material).
Any takers? :cross:
Under facts and folklore: Early beer brewers took advantage of bouncingbet's soaplike properties by using its juice to produce a frothy "head" on beer.
That was listed after the toxicity paragraph: The soaplike action of bouncingbet when crushed in water is attributed to natural chemicals called saponins (types of glycosides) that are poisonous to livestock and humans. All parts of the plant are toxic, especially the seeds and roots. Ingestion of bouncingbet may cause severe gastrointestinal irritation, and lead to destruction of red blood cells if the saponins are absorbed in the bloodstream. Signs of poisoning include vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Animals usually avoid eating bouncingbet because of its bitter taste. Poisonings most often occur when prepared feeds are contaminated with bouncingbet seeds or foliage (the toxic properties remain in dried plant material).
Any takers? :cross:
