Common and glossy buckthorn berries are mildly poisonous to people. They cause an upset stomach and a strong laxative effect, not a life-threatening poisoning.1Wikipedia. Rhamnus cathartica Even so, the effect was harsh enough that buckthorn was once dropped as a children’s medicine for being too severe.2Botanical.com. A Modern Herbal | Buckthorns Birds eat the same berries without harm and spread the seeds in their droppings, which is part of why buckthorn spreads so readily.3Wikipedia. Rhamnus cathartica
What Happens If You Eat Buckthorn Berries
Eating glossy buckthorn berries causes stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.4PEI Untamed. A Few Toxic Fruits Common buckthorn berries and leaves cause stomach cramps and a laxative effect.5Wikipedia. Rhamnus cathartica Glossy buckthorn is not among the most toxic wild berries,6PEI Untamed. A Few Toxic Fruits so for most people the result is a bad bout of stomach upset.
Cramping often comes first, followed by loose, frequent stools. Vomiting may empty the stomach early, which can limit how many berries reach the gut. Symptoms usually ease as the berries pass through the gut.
Diarrhea usually begins some hours after eating rather than within minutes. Most people who ate a modest amount are back to normal within a day or so. Someone who is still having frequent watery stools or vomiting after that should be seen.
The ripe berries have a powerful purging effect, so the main risk is losing too much fluid through diarrhea and vomiting.7utsc.utoronto.ca. Are Buckthorn Berries Poisonous to Humans? The signs are a dry mouth, thirst, and dark or very little urine. In children, look for no wet diaper for several hours or crying without tears. Unusual sleepiness, dizziness, or weakness counts too. Any of these means getting medical help, not waiting it out.
How sick someone gets depends on how many berries were eaten, how ripe they were, and the person’s body size. A child who swallowed one or two may have no symptoms at all, while a larger amount can bring on cramps and diarrhea. The amount is hard to judge afterward, so it is safer to watch anyone who ate berries for the rest of the day than to assume nothing will happen.
Why Buckthorn Acts Like a Harsh Laxative
The laxative effect comes from a group of plant chemicals that includes emodin.8Wikipedia. Rhamnus cathartica They are concentrated in the berries, bark, and leaves. Every buckthorn fruit tested, native and non-native, contained emodin,9Botany. A survey of some nutritional and phytochemical components of selected native and non-native Rhamnaceae species so the laxative effect is a shared trait of buckthorns rather than a quirk of one species. Native North American buckthorns tend to carry a wider mix of these chemicals,10Botany. A survey of some nutritional and phytochemical components of selected native and non-native Rhamnaceae species so no buckthorn berry should be assumed safe just because the species is native.
These chemicals make the large intestine contract harder and draw water from the bowel wall into the stool.11PeaceHealth / TraceGains. Buckthorn The result is strong, soft, urgent bowel movements.
The chemicals in the berries are largely inactive until they reach the large intestine, where gut bacteria help convert them into their working forms. That delay is why diarrhea arrives hours later. It also means early vomiting may not stop the effect completely if some berries have already moved on.
You may have met related laxatives before, since similar ones occur in senna and rhubarb root, sold in common constipation products. In a measured pill these chemicals relieve constipation, but berries deliver an unmeasured dose.
Why Children Are at Greater Risk
Until the late 1800s, buckthorn syrup made with ginger, pimento, and sugar was a popular purgative for children.12Botanical.com. A Modern Herbal | Buckthorns Its action was so severe that it was eventually discarded,13Botanical.com. A Modern Herbal | Buckthorns because the purging caused too much dehydration.14utsc.utoronto.ca. Are Buckthorn Berries Poisonous to Humans?
Ginger and pimento were added to soften the cramping. Berries picked from a hedge have no such measuring or flavoring, so the dose is a matter of chance.
Young children have less fluid to spare, so diarrhea and vomiting dehydrate them faster than adults. The same dose of laxative chemicals is spread across a much smaller body, which means a few berries that only upset an adult deserve closer watching in a toddler.
Kids eat these berries because they are dark, shiny, and grow in clusters at child height on hedges and park shrubs. They stay on the branches into winter, long after other fruit is gone, and children often mistake them for blueberries or cherries.
At home, learn to recognise buckthorn in your yard and nearby play areas, and teach children never to eat berries they find outdoors. Removing buckthorn is also encouraged because it is invasive in much of North America.
What to Do If Someone Ate Buckthorn Berries
In the US, Poison Control is free and open all day at 1-800-222-1222. Call with the person’s age and approximate weight, when the berries were eaten, and roughly how many. Mention any symptoms that have already started, since poison control uses these to judge how closely to follow the case. Outside the US, look up your national poison information line in advance and use that number instead. Many plant calls are managed at home with their guidance, and they tell you which symptoms mean going in.
Do not try to make the person vomit unless told to. That means no salt water, syrup of ipecac, or anything else to induce vomiting, which can cause further harm. While you wait for advice, wipe out the child’s mouth and offer a few sips of water if they are alert and not vomiting. Keep a sample of the plant or berries to help identify it, and keep any remaining berries away from other children and pets. If you’re not sure it was buckthorn, photograph the shrub, leaves, and berries, and treat it as buckthorn until it is identified.
Because the main danger is fluid loss, small frequent sips of water or an oral rehydration drink help most. Anti-diarrhea medicine should not be given to a child without medical advice. Go to urgent care or the ER for signs of dehydration, blood in the stool, or vomiting that won’t stop.
If a dog or other pet ate the berries, they can get the same vomiting and diarrhea. Call your vet or an animal poison line rather than waiting, and bring a branch sample if you go in.
How to Tell Buckthorn From Edible Berries
Buckthorn berries get confused with currants, gooseberries, serviceberries, chokeberries, hawthorn, plums, and cherries.15Forage Calendar. Buckthorn Berries vs Edible Berries They look especially like chokecherries.16SDSU Extension. What is This Fruit… And is it Edible?
Buckthorn berries usually have several seeds, while a chokecherry has one.17SDSU Extension. What is This Fruit… And is it Edible? To check, pick several berries from different parts of the shrub and slice each one open with a knife rather than squeezing it. Count the seeds and note whether they are separate small seeds or a single hard pit. Chokeberry also has several seeds,18SDSU Extension. What is This Fruit… And is it Edible? so always cut open several berries, not just one. A single hard pit points toward a cherry or plum relative; several seeds make chokecherry unlikely but do not confirm buckthorn.
Berries from different plants can look alike in color and size, so judging by the fruit leads to mistakes. Each clue you check narrows the options but rarely settles it alone. The shrub itself offers more. Common buckthorn often has a small thorn at the branch tips, which gives it its name. Its berries ripen black in clusters close to the stem, and its leaves stay green late into fall after other shrubs have dropped theirs. Glossy buckthorn has shiny, smooth-edged leaves and berries that turn red then black.
For foragers, identify the whole plant, not the fruit alone. Use a regional guide or local extension office when unsure. If you cannot be certain, do not eat it.
Sea Buckthorn Is a Different Plant
Sea buckthorn is a separate plant with bright orange berries used in juices and supplements. Its products can cause mild diarrhea or stomach discomfort in some people,19Wellwith. Sea Buckthorn Side Effects You Should Know Before Adding It to Your Routine because the fruit is high in fiber and acid.20Wellwith. Sea Buckthorn Side Effects You Should Know Before Adding It to Your Routine That is ordinary digestive upset, unlike the laxative poisoning of common buckthorn.
You can tell them apart at a glance. Sea buckthorn has narrow silvery leaves and orange berries packed along the stem, while common and glossy buckthorn have broader green leaves and dark berries. Products labelled sea buckthorn are not made from the yard shrub.
Buckthorn Bark, Leaves and Laxative Supplements
The leaves and seeds are also mildly poisonous.21Wikipedia. Rhamnus cathartica The bark is high in the same laxative chemicals as the berries,22PeaceHealth / TraceGains. Buckthorn so chewing twigs or brewing bark tea can cause the same purging. Children who chew on sticks while playing near buckthorn could swallow some of this material, and tea made at home gives an unknown dose, far less predictable than a measured product. Buckthorn laxative capsules typically give 20 to 30 mg of the active chemicals a day,23PeaceHealth / TraceGains. Buckthorn and the smallest amount that keeps bowels regular should be used.24PeaceHealth / TraceGains. Buckthorn In rats given these chemicals daily for 13 weeks, kidney damage developed.25PubMed Central. Toxic Effects of Rhamnus alaternus: A Rare Case Report
For safer use of buckthorn laxatives, take them only for short stretches, as with other stimulant laxatives. Ask a doctor first if you are pregnant or have kidney problems or bowel disease. Stop if cramping or diarrhea becomes severe, and never substitute homemade berry or bark preparations for a measured product.