Poisonous Cactus Houseplants

Question

My 5-year old nephew grabbed a cactus plant with both hands and is at ER. Not sure what kind of cactus plant it is. Doctors need to know if it is poisonous or not. How do I find out?

Answer 1

If he simply grabbed it and was stuck by the spines, then he's not likely in any danger of being poisoned. Generally, the only way any cacti could poison somebody is if it were ingested, and even then it's only likely to cause stomach upset and/or vomiting.