John Myers
Woodruff should not be consumed in large quantities, otherwise the plant can be poisonous. You should be particularly careful with children, cats and dogs.
Too much woodruff can be toxic
Most of us probably associate woodruff with jello, fizzy drinks or May punch. In fact, it is also used in medicinal medicine. Under certain conditions, however, the herb can also be poisonous.
- Woodruff contains the secondary plant substance coumarin. The longer woodruff blooms, the higher the coumarin content in the plant.
- As long as you harvest the herb fresh, the coumarin content is usually very low. However, it increases again during the drying process.
- Excessive amounts of coumarin can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness and vomiting. In severe cases, chronic liver damage can also occur.
- According to the consumer advice center, you should consume no more than 0.1 mg/kg body weight of coumarin every day.
- As long as you do not exceed this consumption amount, you can eat woodruff without hesitation.
- However , even more caution is required with children, cats or dogs. Even small amounts of coumarin can cause the symptoms mentioned above.
- Incidentally, confectionery or non-alcoholic drinks that taste of woodruff do not contain real woodruff, only flavorings.
