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It is a very popular ornamental plant, often planted in plots and home gardens. She looks impressive, but contact with her can be very painful. The ash-leaf dipper is called the bush of Moses for a reason. Like the biblical burning bush, it can cause burns that last for months. Why does this plant burn and how to protect yourself from its dire effects?
- Autumn leaf dyptam contains oils which are photosensitizing on sunny days
- Burns most often occur when we do not use gloves and appropriate clothing (long pants) in the garden.
- Wounds from contact with the Moses bush take months to heal, and the scars of some of the “victims” of dyptam are visible for years
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Autumn leaf dyptam – a beautiful but dangerous plant
Autumn leaf dyptam is a plant from the rutaceae family with magnificent dark green leaves and light pink flowers. It blooms from May to September, which is why it is a frequent choice of gardening enthusiasts – it can be easily found in home gardens and allotments.
Not everyone knows that this ornamental plant can also “boast” a healing effect. It contains coumarins and alkaloids – compounds with properties such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, as well as essential oils: limonene, cymol and estragol.
Exactly that Oils are the reason why the autumn leaf is called the bush of Moses. It is believed that, like the biblical burning bush, this plant can catch fire. In fact, it is not that simple – although the oils are flammable (especially in hot weather), the perennial is not able to ignite spontaneously. Nevertheless, it can cause skin burns. How?
The rest of the text below the video.
Moses bush burns – wounds are painful and heal for a long time
In sunny days autumn leaf dyptam secretes photosensitizing substances. They will not make the plant catch fire, but they can burn the skin if the bare skin of the flowering Moses bush is touched. This often happens when we do not use gloves or cover our legs with long trousers in the garden. Children who like to play among the lush vegetation, as well as animals are also at risk.
The plant can cause a painful burn, which gives rise to large blisters and extensive redness. What is worse, the wound heals very slowly, changes on the skin are visible for months, and according to the accounts of dyptam, traces (dark spots) after burns are visible for years.
What to do when a plant burns us?
The treatment of burns caused by contact with the plant is similar to that of radiation burns, such as solar burns. Unfortunately, pain cannot be avoided, but you can try to alleviate it. At the beginning, it is good to rinse the wound with cool water (by the way, we will wash off the juice from the plant). Cool compresses, agents (creams, ointments, etc.) containing panthenol or painkillers will be helpful.
For 10st degree burns, sunburns and those caused by plants or jellyfish, use MUGGA Soothing Balm for Bites and Burns, which you can buy at a favorable price on Medonet Market. As a first aid in burns, you can also use PanTenol foam – panthenol 5% and allantoin. We also recommend Panthenol 150% for sunburn and thermal burns, available in a XNUMX ml package.
When preparing compresses, it is worth using herbs that relieve pain, but also have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.e.g. chamomile, St. John’s wort or calendula (prepare a herbal infusion and after cooling it, cover the wound). Topical aloe vera will also work well.
It is worth remembering not to expose the burned place, protect it from the sun – social rays can aggravate the inflammation. You should also avoid hot baths and the use of cosmetics with a high pH. When working in the garden, be careful of irritation by covering the affected skin with your clothing and protecting it from subsequent changes.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to self-compassion – a trend that has developed very strongly in the United States, but is still in its infancy in Poland. What is it and how does it affect our daily functioning? You will hear about this and many other issues related to self-compassion in the latest episode of our podcast