Ragwort - A warning story!!

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Quite a few years ago, we decided to have a BBQ (when the sun shone in this country!!) at our yard. My OH who is always puddling around doing odds and sods, decided to pull a small ragwort patch, and burn it, whilst the BBQ started to get going.

He had gloves on, and set about the task, transferring the pulled plants to a braisier for burning. He set it alight and started, keeping an eye on it at all times.

About five minutes after he'd started I heard a shout and looked up, to see OH clutching his eyes and running to the yard. In the space of two minutes his face had swollen beyond all recognition and he was staggering!!

I bundled him into the car and rushed to the nearest hospital. Unfortunately, my car was in for service, so the courtesy car was a micra (bless)!!!! It went round the roundabouts on two wheels, as my OH tried to tell me he couldn't feel his tongue!!!!

Fortunately, we were only ten minutes away. When I got him to A&E they took one look and rushed him in, didn't even take his name or details!! They then pumped him with adrenalin for quite a few hours.

When they were examining him, they couldn't find any bites or marks that would suggest he had been stung, so, they asked me what he had been doing. I told them, and after trying to explain Ragwort, and them looking it up, they eventually concluded that, either, some sap had got onto his skin, or, that the fumes from the burning plant had caused this!!!!!

So, the warning is.....Ragwort is poisonous to horses, and causes serious problems, but, Ragwort is an evil plant to humans too. Please wear gloves and protection to pull it up, and when burning, please be careful!

BTW they said that if my OH had have been five minutes later he wouldn't be here today!!!
 
Sh1t! So glad you were there and managed to get him help in time.

We wear gloves and use a ragwort fork. So far haven't burnt whilst they were still green (timing, etc.). Will treat even more cautiously in future!

Thank you for the warning.
 
Your OH is so lucky u acted so quickly and that little micra shifted quickly enough!!
I was pulling rag all day last saturday, went home feeling hot and bothered (it was boiling) had a shower and felt fine. Woke up 4am in morning with headache, sore throat, going hot n cold, felt like flu sore throat was starting to swell a bit, got up and OH rang the NHS direct who asked where i'd been/what i'd been doing, they said it was sun stroke!!!
I thought that odd considering it started at 4am not when i got in at 3.30pm and i felt fine all evening, wonder now whether it was rag, as i didn't wear gloves for the one little bit i missed and went bk to
frown.gif

So yes everyone be very careful with the evil weed!!
 
I made myself quite ill pulling ragwort a few years ago, before I realised how nasty it was to humans, too. ALWAYS wear gloves and if you're pulling a large patch, wear eye protection and face mask, too. The pollen is the most poisonous part of the plant. Hindsight, eh?? For me, I mean, not you!

Oliver-twist, I'd put money on it being the rag. I had similar symptoms, plus feeling very chesty.
 
Worrying as burning is a recommended way of disposing of ragwort--although DEFRA recommend wilting first

I can only think the fire distributed pollen into the air which your OH breathed in and he has had a massive allergic reaction
 
Ours is dried out at least a week before it is burnt so that the sap is dried out etc never had a problem
 
Yes that's exactly what happened. He then had anaphalatic (sp) shock!!

I posted because obviously ragwort will be being pulled and burned and just to let people know that it is a seriously dangerous plant, so to take care.
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