Pineapple Leaves

[Bredelly]

I was curious, so I started chewing up one of the leaves from the top of a pineapple. It was actually kind of sweet. Very tough, but sweet. Are these edible?

[spicyfull]

How do you feel?

[Dj 247]

I don't think I would eat any leaves from fruits and vegetables unless I was sure they were safe to eat.

[JGex]

You might want to try Google-ing something like that before you just eat it. The sap from the leaves IS considered poisonous.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Ananaco.htm

[Bredelly]

You might want to try Google-ing something like that before you just eat it. The sap from the leaves IS considered poisonous.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Ananaco.htm

Curiosity never hurt anyone right?

"CAUSES SEVERE PAIN IN THE MOUTH IF EATEN! SKIN IRRITATION MINOR, OR LASTING ONLY FOR A FEW MINUTES."

Well I can tell you they are wrong about that, or I just didn't chew it up enough.

I didn't swallow it though. I just chewed it half a dozen times.

Maybe it was just referring to the large leaves on the base of the plant, not the leaves at the top of the fruit.

[JGex]

Alright, I guess you know more than the horticulturists in the world.

You can chew on them if you want to, but when I worked in a plant nursery, we kept the bromeliads on a table out of the reach of children so we wouldn't get sued if someone's child decided to eat the pretty leaves. Many of the leaves in the bromeliad family are brightly colored and attractive to children. They won't kill you, but they ARE caustic.

BTW, the phrase "curiosity killed the cat" didn't come from nowhere.....

;)

[JGex]

I got to thinking about this while I was sorting artwork and and felt like maybe I came off sounding a little flip... I'm not trying to be a smart butt here, but it really DOES floor me that you ate/chewed it first and then asked, Bredelly.

Like I said, chewing on a pineapple leaf won't kill you, but it's always wisest to check first before you try something like that. There just may be a very good reason why people don't normally consume something.

I also was concerned because some edible plants have poisonous stems and/or leaves.... like the potato and tomato.

I had to be VERY mindful of these things as tropical house manager because a lot of plants sold for their beautiful foliage as houseplants are poisonous to children and animals if they eat them. For instance, poinsettias and holly berries will give you a tummy ache and maybe diarrhea, while dieffenbachias (also known as dumbcane) can swell the breathing passages and suffocate a child or animal - it makes adults unable to talk, hence the "dumb" part and was used in royal courts to feed to the jesters so they would talk funny to amuse the court when their tongue swelled. Eating parts of mistletoe can kill you.

I know those are not edible plants, but you get the idea.

Google is a fabulous tool and being on the internet, we all have the power to use it to answer questions like this before consuming something that may make us sick.

[Bredelly]

I got to thinking about this while I was sorting artwork and and felt like maybe I came off sounding a little flip... I'm not trying to be a smart butt here, but it really DOES floor me that you ate/chewed it first and then asked, Bredelly.

Like I said, chewing on a pineapple leaf won't kill you, but it's always wisest to check first before you try something like that. There just may be a very good reason why people don't normally consume something.

I also was concerned because some edible plants have poisonous stems and/or leaves.... like the potato and tomato.

I had to be VERY mindful of these things as tropical house manager because a lot of plants sold for their beautiful foliage as houseplants are poisonous to children and animals if they eat them. For instance, poinsettias and holly berries will give you a tummy ache and maybe diarrhea, while dieffenbachias (also known as dumbcane) can swell the breathing passages and suffocate a child or animal - it makes adults unable to talk, hence the "dumb" part and was used in royal courts to feed to the jesters so they would talk funny to amuse the court when their tongue swelled. Eating parts of mistletoe can kill you.

I know those are not edible plants, but you get the idea.

Google is a fabulous tool and being on the internet, we all have the power to use it to answer questions like this before consuming something that may make us sick.

I was being facetious with my curiosity comment anyway. At least I got my answer. Don't eat pineapple leaves.

[luckitri]

OMG, Jgex, I have a dumbcane. Just like the one on the Simpsons! I knew that it could make me dumb (not talk) but I didn't know that it could actually suffocate! (Why did my family give me this when my son was so young?)

Bredelly, I thought that I had heard that some medication is made from the leaves but for our use I was taught that when the ones on top pull out easily is how you know that your pineapple is perfectly ripe for eating. (Hasn't seemed to be true though).

[JGex]

I was being facetious with my curiosity comment anyway. At least I got my answer. Don't eat pineapple leaves.

Dear, I'm sorry I didn't pick up on the facetiousness of that.... my motherly instinct just kicks in when I detect potential danger. Some of the people I encountered in the greenhouse were just so disconnected to anything relating to common sense that I automatically go into overprotective mode. Please forgive me if I seemed to be talking down to you.

:o :)

[JGex]

OMG, Jgex, I have a dumbcane. Just like the one on the Simpsons! I knew that it could make me dumb (not talk) but I didn't know that it could actually suffocate! (Why did my family give me this when my son was so young?)

Bredelly, I thought that I had heard that some medication is made from the leaves but for our use I was taught that when the ones on top pull out easily is how you know that your pineapple is perfectly ripe for eating. (Hasn't seemed to be true though).

Luckitri, most people have no idea that dieffenbachias are poisonous. People assume that if it's being sold in a mainstream greenhouse, that the plants are safe.

Here's one list of houseplants that are poisonous: http://www.blankees.com/house/plants/poisonous.htm

Note that aloe is on that list. Most people think of aloe as a medicinal plant. They don't think that it can have adverse affects.

Poisonous can simply mean that the plant will cause a tummy ache, but some of the plants can cause more than that.

:)

[sport]

Note that aloe is on that list. Most people think of aloe as a medicinal plant. They don't think that it can have adverse affects.

Poisonous can simply mean that the plant will cause a tummy ache, but some of the plants can cause more than that.

:)

Are you suggesting that we do not incorporate Aloe in to our diets. I have been trying to add it to my smoothies for ages but keep forgetting so end up only putting it in about every 2 weeks.
Maybe I am forgetting for a reason.

[JGex]

Are you suggesting that we do not incorporate Aloe in to our diets. I have been trying to add it to my smoothies for ages but keep forgetting so end up only putting it in about every 2 weeks.
Maybe I am forgetting for a reason.

Hi Sport,

No, I'm not suggesting that at all. I use bottled aloe in my smoothies sometimes. I've haven't eaten fresh since I killed my last plant though.....

Did you click on the aloe link and read the info on it? If you're just scraping out the gel, then you should be just fine. If you are throwing the whole leaf into your VitaMix, then you might have a reaction. Or you might not... just like some people are allergic to peanuts and some aren't. But, if you have intestinal cramps after you eat the aloe, then knowing that the leaf lining contains latex might help you understand why.

Does that make any sense?

:)

[RowanC]

Honestly, I think you'll be fine.

Remember, anybody can write a book... and a lot of people write not about their own experience, but what they read somewhere else.

Good example: Dorothy Morrison, a former student of mine, wrote an herbal in which she gave Shepherd's Purse as a PERFECT herb to bring on your menses.

WRONG!!!

Shepherd's Purse will STOP your flow in its tracks....

Find your information from 3 or 4 reliable sources before you believe it's true.

Regarding eating the leaf... you're lucky... if you had done this with Hemlock, which a lot of people mistake for Wild Carrot, we could be attending your funeral right now! A piece the size of your thumbnail will kill you.

[sport]

Regarding eating the leaf... you're lucky... if you had done this with Hemlock, which a lot of people mistake for Wild Carrot, we could be attending your funeral right now! A piece the size of your thumbnail will kill you.

I have just purchased 2 books on foraging. Maybe I should not have done that. It would be just like me to make that kind of mistake.