However, consuming them straight from the oleander bush causes irregular heart activity, eventually leading to cardiac arrest and even death. In minuscule, measured doses, these potent chemicals can actually act as a medicinal treatment for heart failure. As you know if you’ve ever taken a CPR class or witnessed the shock of a defibrillator, maintaining regular electrical currents is imperative for cardiac health. When eaten, these chemicals disrupt the electrical conductivity of the heart. What makes oleander such a beautiful menace? The plant contains two types of cardiac glycosides. Even just touching the leaves or stem can cause skin irritation. A single leaf can kill a child, and honey made from oleander nectar can be toxic. Even just roasting a marshmallow on an oleander branch has resulted in deaths. Every part of the plant is highly toxic and, in many cases, fatal.

But oleander is worth that second glance… and probably a third. With its delicate whirl of pastel petals scented like apricots, you wouldn’t cast Nerium Oleander a second glance before adding it to a bouquet or burying your nose in a cluster of blooms.

Lily of the valley poison antidote