Can ragwort kill humans

Ragwort is not particularly harmful to humans. It is, like many plants poisonous, but it is foul tasting so no-one would really want to eat it. There are chemicals in it that can seriously damage the liver if a lot of the plant is eaten.

The toxic chemicals are found in around 3% of all flowering plants.

There is a myth about ragwort that it is poisonous to the touch. This has been looked into by Dr Pieter Pelser, a world leading authority on ragwort, who actually studied the plant for his Phd.

He found that while some chemicals are poorly absorbed through the skin, they have to be changed into a toxic form. This only happens in the gut when they are eaten so those tiny amounts which could be absorbed through the skin don't become toxic and are just excreted harmlessly.

Ragwort, like chamomile and many other members of the daisy family does contain other chemicals which in some sensitive people can cause a rash but these are not the same substances that make it poisonous to eat.