The different types of agave regularly cause uncertainty among hobby gardeners: while the toxicity of the plants is reported on the one hand, numerous types of use of certain agave components for human consumption are also known on the other.

Tequila is made from the blue agave

On the danger of agaves

Basically, the danger of the agave has to be put into perspective: Although different types of agave can have different ingredients in and on the leaves, the agave is usually classified as a plant that is not very poisonous. However, the danger lurks elsewhere with the agaves. The sharp spines on the tips and sometimes also on the edges of the leaves sometimes cause painful injuries that heal very slowly. The agave is perhaps only dangerous insofar as it can sometimes be confused with aloe vera by uninformed gardeners.

Ingredients and possible effects of the agave

The slightly poisonous agaves usually contain the following ingredients:

  • volatile oil
  • saponins
  • oxalic acid
  • 0.4 to 3% hecogenin

After the agaves were imported to Europe, parts of the plants were also propagated in this country as natural remedies for certain diseases such as warts or constipation. However, you should refrain from your own experiments in this regard, since the concentration of the active ingredients in the leaves fluctuate greatly and laypeople can therefore not correctly estimate the dosage. If the agave juice gets on the skin or even the mucous membranes, this can lead to severe skin irritation and conjunctivitis.

The use of different species of agave

Mainly in Mexico, agaves are still an important economic factor today. While the so-called sisal agave with the threads of its leaves provides the raw material for sisal cords, the juices of the blue agave are used to produce tequila and mezcal. Since agaves also contain a lot of sugar, they are specifically cultivated for the production of the sweetener agave syrup.

tips

If the plant sap occurs when repotting or cutting the agave in the garden, you should urgently wash your hands before touching your eyes. You can stick small pieces of cork on the ends of the leaves to prevent injuries from the sharp spikes in the first place.

Category:

Vegetable garden