Sosnowski’s dangerous borscht. Watch out for this highly poisonous plant [EXPLAINED]

Proven content

Every year – in late spring and summer – doctors and media warn against Sosnowski’s borscht growing in fields and meadows. This plant, although inconspicuous, can cause severe burns. How to recognize Sosnowski’s borscht and what help should be provided in case of contact?

1. The name of the plant comes from a botanist of origin – Dmitry Ivanovich Sosnowski. Colloquially, this weed is called “Stalin’s revenge”
2. It occurs not only in wastelands or meadows outside the city, but more and more often also very close to human clusters
3. The heat and the sun intensify the harmfulness of Sosnowski’s borscht. Close contact with this toxic plant can lead to burns and hospitalization
4. More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.

What is Sosnowski’s borscht?

Sosnowski’s borscht (Heracleum sosnowskyi The man) is a stinging plant dangerous to health, which was brought to Poland from the Caucasus in the late 50s. It is a plant species belonging to the Apiaceae family – umbellate (celery), which also includes celery, carrots, dill and other useful plants. In Central and Western Europe, apart from Sosnowski’s borscht, there are two more invasive species of borscht: Mantegazzi borscht (Heracleum mantegazzianum), often confused with Sosnowski’s borscht (diagnostic differences are not sufficient to clearly distinguish both species) and Persian borscht (Heracleum persicum).

The name of the plant comes from a botanist of origin – Dmitry Ivanovich Sosnowski. This weed is commonly referred to as “Stalin’s revenge”. Already in the Stalinist period, it began to be cultivated on a large scale so that it could be used as feed for cattle.

After some time, however, it turned out that it was a very dangerous species that became wild and began to spread. This plant gives off the juices they have irritating properties, causing primarily dangerous skin burns (XNUMXnd and XNUMXrd degree) with blisters, which in extreme cases even lead to death. Sosnowski’s borscht occurs naturally in the central and eastern regions of the Caucasus and in the north-eastern part of Turkey. Unfortunately, Sosnowski’s borscht is a plant that is difficult to control, which is why it is legally forbidden to both cultivate and sell it all over Poland.

Sosnowski’s borscht is often confused with a grown dill, although it is much taller than it (it can be up to four meters high). It is made of a green stem covered with purple spots at the bottom. The borscht leaves are very large and branchy with sharp tips. The flowers, on the other hand, are white and densely arranged.

Also read: Seven healthy foods that can be poisonous

Sosnowski’s borscht – occurrence

Sosnowski’s borscht grows rapidly in a small area because it has a fast regeneration capacity, and the large number of seeds in the soil means that Sosnowski’s borscht can germinate for up to several years. This dangerous plant is most often found on roads or in meadows. It can also grow in pastures, on the banks of rivers and lakes, as well as in parks and gardens. More and more often Sosnowski’s borscht is found in alder forests.

In Poland, the largest concentrations of Sosnowski’s borscht are located in the eastern and central part of the country (Mazowieckie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie voivodships).

Also read: Canada also has its poisonous «Sosnowski’s borscht»

What does Sosnowski’s borscht look like?

Sosnowski’s borscht can be from one to four meters high. At the same time, it is the largest herbaceous plant in Europe. Within the straight stems there are large pinnate leaves that form dense clumps. It can also be recognized by its flowers, which resemble dill flowers. The root of Sosnowski’s borscht can reach up to 2 m in length, which is one of the factors that makes it so difficult to eradicate the plant.

One plant of Sosnowski’s borscht may have a total of up to twenty thousand. tiny flowers that form round, olive-colored fruit resembling dill fruits. In the leaves, fruits and stalks of Sosnowski’s borscht, there are ducts filled with essential oils – hence the characteristic smell of the plant.

Why is Sosnowski’s borscht dangerous?

In the juices and secretions found in the glandular hairs of Sosnowski’s borscht, there are dangerous compounds – furanocoumarins. Under the influence of UVA and UVB rays, they are bound with the DNA of skin cells and cause a phototoxic reaction. Research carried out by the County Sanitary and Epidemiological Station in Słupsk reports that some furanocoumarins contained in Sosnowski’s borscht also had properties carcinogenic and causing fetal defects.

The plant carries the greatest danger during flowering and fruiting, that is, in the period of high temperatures outside. Then, burns can occur even through indirect contact with Sosnowski’s borscht, because dangerous compounds are released from the plant in the form of sprays and are located on the skin of people who are nearby.

Sosnowski’s borscht – burn symptoms

He is responsible for the toxicity of Sosnowski’s borscht essential oil located in the plant. It causes a burn when skin that has been in contact with the oil is exposed to sunlight. Unfortunately, this often causes unconscious threats to people who come into contact with the poisonous plant. The first symptoms of Sosnowski’s borscht burn appear within 30 minutes to two hours of contact with the weed. How the skin reacts depends largely on the sensitivity of the burned skin and how hot the outside temperature is.

At first, redness appears on the skin, followed by blisters filled with serous fluid. Burns may be accompanied by intense pain and itchy skin. The severity of symptoms depends on how much essential oil is deposited on the skin, how strong the exposure to light was, and on the individual characteristics of the body. Contact with Sosnowski’s borscht may result in second and third degree burns. Inflammation may last for about three days. Then, after about 7 days, the burned areas darken (so-called hyperpigmentation) and may remain in this state for up to several months. On the other hand, irritated areas may be sensitive to ultraviolet exposure for several years. After this time, unsightly scars may remain. If the contact area was large and treatment is not provided promptly, the damaged skin may become necrotic.

In addition to skin burns, the chemical compounds in Sosnowski’s borscht can also cause:

1. respiratory tract irritation,
2. nausea,
3. vomiting,
4. headaches,
5. conjunctivitis.

It should also be remembered that just being in the vicinity of Sosnowski’s borscht can be dangerous. All thanks to the essential oils contained in it, the inhalation of which can cause headaches, dizziness and nausea. Therefore, people who eliminate Caucasian borscht in protective clothing should not do it for too long.

Burns by Sosnowski’s borscht can lead to serious complications, especially in hypersensitive people. Tissue necrosis may occur and, as a consequence, the entire limb may be amputated. There are also deaths, such as the case of a 67-year-old woman who died in 2015 as a result of a burn with Sosnowski’s borscht, because she had a circulatory failure. In addition, the patient suffered from chronic diseases, which resulted in a significantly reduced immunity.

Sosnowski borscht – first aid for burns

Below you will learn what to do in case of burns with Sosnowski’s borscht:

1. if you have been in contact with Sosnowski’s borscht, but you have not yet developed any burn symptoms, you should immediately wash skin with plenty of lukewarm (not hot!) water with soap,
2. Regardless of the severity of the symptoms, skin exposure to sunlight should be avoided, even if no symptoms have appeared up to 48 hours after contact with the plant,
3. in case of symptoms, see a doctor immediately,
4. while waiting for a doctor’s appointment, you should take antihistamines to reduce the potential risk of an allergic reaction in people allergic to Sosnowski’s borscht,
5. when they appear serous blisterscorticosteroid ointments (creams) can be applied topically, but they have not ruptured.
6. if the eyes come into contact with the plant, they should be rinsed thoroughly with water and protected from light.

1. For burns, you can use chamomile infusion compresses. We also recommend MUGGA soothing lotion for bites and burns.

If you are allergic, read: When Spring is Allergic

How to distinguish borscht from Sosnowski’s borscht?

Borscht (Heracleum sphondylium) – is a naturally occurring plant throughout Poland, most often located on roadsides or along drainage ditches. Common borscht belongs to the same family as Sosnowski’s borscht, i.e. celery borscht. It is used in herbal medicine due to furanocoumarins, whose concentration, unlike Sosnowski’s borscht, is much lower – it does not irritate the skin and is not life-threatening. Nevertheless, people prone to allergies should not pick borscht.

Both plants share common features, such as:

1. a characteristic strong smell,
2. fruit in the form of rozłupni,
3. branchy leaves,
4. inflorescence in the form of a complex umbell,
5. a stem with marked nodes and empty internodes.

These features make it a real challenge for some people to distinguish borscht from Sosnowski’s borscht. Moreover, the appearance of hogweed plants of the same species may differ slightly from each other, e.g. in the shape of the leaves.

See: Poisonous plants in field meadows

What features help distinguish borscht from Sosnowski’s borscht?

1. flowering time – borscht usually blooms in July and August, i.e. slightly later than Sosnowski’s borscht, which blooms at the turn of June and July,
2. the size of the plant – the structure of the common borscht is slightly smaller than that of Sosnowski’s borscht, it is usually up to 1,5 m high, although in exceptional circumstances it may be taller than a human,
3. the size of the inflorescences – borscht flowers are usually from a few to several centimeters, while the size of Sosnowski’s borscht flowers is about 30-80 cm, 
4. the stalk – in the case of borscht, it is hollow and furrowed; it may be covered with stiff hairs, but unlike Caucasian borscht, it does not have purple spots; the diameter of the stem is also important, which in common borscht is about 2-3 cm, and in Sosnowski’s borscht near the ground it can reach 12 cm,
5. shape and color of leaves – borscht has dark green leaves, divided into 3 or 5 separated leaves; The leaves of Sosnowski’s borscht are trifoliate and have the color of vivid green,
6. leaf size – borscht leaves are mounted on long petioles, similar to the Caucasian hogweed leaves, differing only in the surface of the leaf blade; for common borscht, the plate will cover only a few dozen cm square, and for Sosnowski’s borscht, about 1,5 m2,
7. arrangement of flower shoots – in the case of Sosnowski’s borscht, the inflorescences resemble umbrella wires because they diverge to the sides, and in the case of common borscht, the stalks are terminated with umbels and placed close to each other. 

Method of combating

The basic method of controlling Sosnowski’s borscht is mechanical method. The best results are obtained by destroying an annual plant during the fall. Autumn is the best season, because then it is easiest to recognize this species by its strong, handsome rosettes. Mechanical destruction of Sosnowski’s borscht consists in its manual removal, using specialized equipment or ordinary garden hoes. The second effective time in removing this toxic plant is the second year it grows, while its shoots are growing.

It is important that Sosnowski’s borscht is removed before its fruiting, preferably right before or during flowering. Mowing is also a common and quite effective method of removal. It is important to perform about 2 to 4 mowing treatments during one season for complete elimination borscht. However, it should be remembered that the higher the plants are mowed, the greater the likelihood of new umbels growing back on the lower floors. This phenomenon occurs en masse when only the umbels themselves are removed.

Mowing Sosnowski’s borscht makes it perennial. Deprived of the possibility of producing generative shoots, they constantly strive to produce an inflorescence. The complete elimination of plants is very frequent mowing. After some time, chemical agents can be used for its complete elimination, which in certain cases are used as the only and basic method of combating Sosnowski’s borscht.

Monitoring of Sosnowski’s borscht

Since 2003, the Laboratory of Applied Plant Ecology at the University of Ecology and Management in Warsaw has been involved in inventorying and monitoring of Sosnowski’s borscht located mainly in north-eastern Poland. Since 2011, the studio has been running the website http://barszcz.edu.pl/, which includes databases and maps of Sosnowski’s borscht sites, to which information about the presence of new stands of this aggressive plant can be reported. In Poland, Sosnowski’s borscht is legally prohibited from growing, reproducing and selling.

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