Sometimes, the most unassuming plants can be the most dangerous. Lily of the valley is a plant that grows small, demure white bell flowers often used in gardens and bouquets. Beneath the sweet exterior of these plants lies a secret: The plants are highly toxic and can cause severe illness and death.
What Is Lily of the Valley?
Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) is a common garden flower that makes a good ground cover. It grows in the Northern Hemisphere across the United States, Europe, and Central Asia. These pretty perennials bloom in April and May and grow in dense groups.
Lily of the valley is hearty, making it a popular garden flower. It can grow in most of the U.S. and does well in the shade of trees and shrubs. Lily of the valley is also popular as a cut flower, especially in bridal bouquets.
Lily of the valley isn’t actually a lily. It’s from the asparagaceae family, which, as the name suggests, also contains asparagus.
Throughout history, the lily of the valley has popped up in stories and mythology. Greek, Roman, and German myths, as well as the Bible, mention the flower. Historically, the lily of the valley has represented chastity, humility, motherhood, sweetness, and purity. The lily of the valley is sometimes called the May lily and is the birth flower for this month since this is when the flowers often bloom.
Lily of the valley has compounds that are used in medicine. For example, one compound, convallatoxin, can help treat certain heart problems. Most convallatoxin used in medication is made in a lab, not from the plant.
What Does Lily of the Valley Look Like?
The flowers grow in a vertical clump, or raceme, with five to 10 flowers on one side of the stem. Sometimes, the flowers are pale pink. The flowers of the lily of the valley have a strong floral scent.
The leaves of the lily of the valley plant are smooth and green and vary in size from elliptical to oblong. The leaves grow low on the stem and overlap to surround it, offering protection.
In the fall, the lily of the valley plants may grow berries. These berries are small, smooth, and reddish-orange. Each berry has one to six seeds.
Is Lily of the Valley Poisonous?
While lily of the valley may be used in very small quantities in medication, eating the plant can lead to severe illness, cardiac distress, and even death. All parts of the plant can cause illness when eaten; it's categorized as having major toxicity.
The lily of the valley contains several compounds that can affect the heart, such as saponins and around 30 cardiac glycosides, including convallatoxin (CNT). Researchers have found that CNT could lead to too much blood clotting by triggering the release of a protein called tissue factor (TF), which plays a key role in your body's clotting process.
The roots of the flower contain the most amount of poison, but poisoning cases are most often the result of children eating the berries. Some people may experience a rash or skin irritation from touching the plant.
Symptoms of Lily of the Valley Poisoning
While the compounds in the lily of the valley mainly attack the heart, lily of the valley poison effects can ravage the whole body.
Cardiac symptoms. Lily of the valley affects your heart, causing it to pump more slowly and forcefully. Lily of the valley poison symptoms of the heart include:
- Fainting
- Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
- Slow heartbeat
Gastrointestinal symptoms. Gastrointestinal symptoms caused by eating lily of the valley include:
- Diarrhea
- Peeing a lot at night
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Stomach pain
- Vomiting
Nervous system symptoms. Lily of the valley can also affect the nervous system. If you eat lily of the valley, you may have:
- Confusion
- Depression
- Drowsiness and lethargy
- Headache
- Overall weakness
Vision symptoms. Lily of the valley may impact your vision and lead to symptoms such as blurry vision or seeing halos around objects.
Depression, loss of appetite, and halos in your vision usually only happen when you overdose.
Skin symptoms. Touching lily of the valley may lead to skin irritation. This can cause symptoms like:
- Bumps
- Blisters
- Itching
- Red rash or patches
- Swelling
Lily of the Valley Poisoning in Pets
Lily of the valley may be toxic to your pet if they eat it, especially if you have a dog, cat, or horse. Poisoning symptoms include:
- Throwing up
- A change in heartbeat
- Low blood pressure
- Confusion
- Coma
- Seizures
- Organ failure
What to Do After Lily of the Valley Exposure
If you discover you or a loved one have swallowed lily of the valley, get medical help right away. You can contact poison control on their website or toll-free hotline at 800-222-1222. When you talk to poison control, they’ll want to know:
- Your age
- Your weight
- Your current symptoms and condition
- Which part of the plant you swallowed
- How much of the plant you swallowed
- What time you swallowed the plant
Because the lily of the valley is so toxic, poison control will likely suggest you visit a hospital for medical care.
Lily of the Valley Poisoning Treatment
At the hospital, your care team will track your vital signs like breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate. Lily of the valley poisoning treatment may include activated charcoal to absorb the poison, medications to push the poison through your digestive system, IV fluids, and medications to counteract some of the poisonous compounds. You may also take medicine to ease the symptoms of lily of the valley poisoning, such as irregular heartbeat.
Symptoms of the lily of the valley poisoning usually last from 1 to 3 days. You may need to stay in the hospital during this time. With proper medical care, death is unlikely.
Treatment in pets
If your pet has eaten lily of the valley, take them to the vet right away. The vet will try to make them throw up the plant if your pet has eaten it within a few hours. Your pet may also get nausea medicine, activated charcoal, and IV fluids. The vet will also watch for changes to their heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.
Other Plants That Look Like Lily of the Valley
Lily of the valley plants produce very distinct-looking flowers, and there aren’t any plants that are easily mistaken for the lily of the valley.
Mountain heather
The most similar plant is perhaps white mountain heather. These plants have small, white, bell-like flowers similar to the lily of the valley. The flowers of white mountain heather have a red base and reddish stamen, and the stems are covered in scale-like leaves. White mountain heather is a shrub that grows best at high altitudes. Unlike the lily of the valley, it’s not toxic.
Wild garlic
Before flowering, wild garlic can look similar to lily of the valley, but wild garlic leaves grow directly from the base, while lily of the valley has two or three leaves on its stem. When in bloom, wild garlic has small white flowers, while lily of the valley has bell-shaped flowers.
Takeaways
Lily of the valley is a popular garden plant that thrives in many parts of the world. It blooms in spring and is often used in bouquets, including bridal arrangements. But it's highly toxic and can cause serious illness or death if you eat any part of the plant. It can lead to heart problems, stomach pain, vomiting, confusion, and even vision issues. The berries are especially dangerous to children. Contact with the plant can also cause skin irritation.
If someone eats lily of the valley, it’s important to see a doctor right away. Treatment could include activated charcoal or medications to manage symptoms. While serious, poisoning is usually treatable with proper care.
