This question pops-up at this time every year. Myths die hard! Are you ready to answer this question in a convincing way next time a customer asks you?
Poinsettias are not poisonous according to a scientific article describing research done at the Ohio State University in the early 70s by Drs. R. Stone and W. Collins from the Department of Entomology. The article source is: EUPHORBIA TOXICITY TO RATS, published in TOXICON, 1971, vol. 9. pp. 301-302.
Researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh also studied more than 22,000 reports of poinsettia exposure and found no significant toxicity. The POISINDEX Information Service said a 50-pound child would have to eat 500-600 poinsettia bracts to exceed the nontoxic experimental doses. Like any nonfood product, poinsettias may taste awful and cause minor discomfort if eaten. For this reason, keep them out of reach of small children, as you would with many other household objects.
