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RE: Gasoline from a plant? Tree Tuesday - Kind off
I wouldn't grow a plant that could blind me--I'm too careless. Also, how does it not hurt animals that eat it? Perplexing, considering we use animal studies as first-line trials in drug development. Interesting article. I'll be sure to stay away from milkbush, or whatever else it is called.
I agree that it seems odd that cattle can eat it - I had found the cattle feed info on one website when I was looking for its proper name and didn't question it since sometimes items poisonous to one species are just fine for another.
So, I did a bit more research after your comment (and I should have done it before) and found this article https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/bk-2013-1127.ch001?src=recsys
Here, it says that cattle does not like it so much and that it is used for corral fencing. Also as firewood and as a ground cover in areas where nothing else will grow.
I di
That's a very interesting article. Usually, I believe in the wisdom of folk remedies, but sometimes they can be deadly--arsenic and mercury used to be popular remedies, weren't they? Article does say the latex exuded by the plant is caustic. So, my instincts are probably good--cattle agree with me :)