© Louise Wolff --darina 00:30, 7 May 2005 (UTC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Dieffenbachia
Toxic🐾Dieffenbachien · (Dieffenbachia seguine)
Arum family (Araceae)
Description
The dumb cane owes its common English name to a drastic effect: biting into a leaf can temporarily rob a person of speech, caused by needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals in the sap. This tropical houseplant from the arum family is grown year-round for its striking foliage, has traditional ethnobotanical uses in its native range, and is popularly credited with freshening indoor air. Every part, especially the milky sap, carries these sharp oxalate needles alongside protein-digesting enzymes. Mere contact with the mouth or throat causes intense burning, drooling and rapid swelling — swallowing larger amounts can, in the worst case, obstruct the airway, a genuine medical emergency. The plant is also toxic to dogs and cats. Dumb cane should therefore always be kept well out of reach of children and pets.
External use only!
This plant must NOT be taken internally. Use only as compress, salve, or bath.
CONTRAINDICATED during pregnancy
Do not ingest. Safe as a houseplant with normal distancing.
CONTRAINDICATED during breastfeeding
Do not ingest. Safe as a houseplant with normal distancing.
CONTRAINDICATED for children
ABSOLUTELY keep away from children. Even brief chewing can cause airway obstruction.
When kept as a houseplant, dumb cane filters formaldehyde and xylene from indoor air. The Wolverton study (NASA 1989) lists it as one of the most effective indoor air-purifying plants.
Historical-ethnobotanical only: In the Caribbean, Dieffenbachia was used against paralysis — a dangerous practice with no therapeutic basis. For historical record only, not to be replicated.
Ornamental houseplant with distinctively patterned leaves; thrives even in shaded areas, improving indoor air quality there.
⚠ External use only
STRONGLY TOXIC — Calcium oxalate raphides cause immediate mouth and throat swelling, severe burning, and drooling. Ingestion can cause airway obstruction (medical emergency). TOXIC for dogs and cats. Contact a doctor or poison control centre immediately. ASPCA classification (accessed 2026-08-10): toxic to dogs and cats. The ASPCA classifies the whole genus this way.
Do not ingest. Safe as a houseplant with normal distancing.
Do not ingest. Safe as a houseplant with normal distancing.
ABSOLUTELY keep away from children. Even brief chewing can cause airway obstruction.
Contraindications
- Children: place completely out of reach — risk of airway obstruction.
- Pets (dogs, cats): place completely out of reach.
- No self-medication with any plant parts whatsoever.
Harvested part: all plant parts, especially the sap
- Time of day:
- Usable year-round as a houseplant. Wear gloves when repotting — sap irritates skin and eyes.
- Time of day:
- Leaves (decorative purposes only) can be taken in summer. Always wear protective gloves.
- Drying:
- Not suitable for medicinal drying.
- Calcium oxalate raphidesMineralWhole plant
Needle-shaped crystals in specialised cells (idioblasts); primary toxicity mechanism — mechanical mucous membrane injury and swelling.
- Proteolytic enzymes (plant proteases)OtherWhole plant
Amplify tissue damage caused by oxalate raphides; synergistic toxicity effect.
- Diterpene estersOtherLeaf
Skin-irritating compounds in the latex; can cause contact dermatitis.
- Steroidal saponinsSaponinWhole plant
Contributing to overall toxicity; haemolytic properties.
- FlavonoidsFlavonoidLeaf
Antioxidant secondary metabolites; limited pharmacological significance.
- [1]MonographInterior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement (NASA TM-101766)(accessed: 2026-05-24)
- [4]MonographDieffenbachia seguine — Plants For A Future (PFAF)(accessed: 2026-05-24)
- [5]MonographASPCA Animal Poison Control — Dieffenbachia (Dieffenbachia)(accessed: 2026-08-10)
- [6]MonographCliniTox Giftpflanzen — Dieffenbachia seguine (Jacq.) Schott: stark giftig ++ (Institut für Veterinärpharmakologie und -toxikologie, Universität Zürich)(accessed: 2026-08-10)
- [2]WikipediaDieffenbachie (Wikipedia DE)(accessed: 2026-05-24)
- [3]WikipediaDieffenbachia seguine (Wikipedia EN)(accessed: 2026-05-24)