A walnut tree in your own garden - a wonderful gift and happiness. After all, the plant looks magical, provides shade in summer and gives delicious fruits, the walnuts, in autumn. But are the tree and its nuts completely non-toxic, or should we be careful? We clarify!
The shell of the walnut contains tannins
Basically non-toxic to humans, but…
In principle, the walnut is not poisonous to humans. However, people with sensitive stomachs can react to the leaves of the plant with nausea and vomiting, for example when drinking a tea with walnut leaves.
In addition, poisoning from the green shell of the walnut cannot be completely ruled out. The reason for this is the high tannic acid content, which can cause stomach and intestinal problems such as diarrhea if the sensitivity is high.
Important: Under no circumstances should you eat moldy walnuts - they are always harmful to your health!
Walnuts are partly poisonous to animals
The heartwood of the walnut tree is poisonous for horses - it can lead to laminitis. In practice, however, there is hardly any poisoning. To do this, the horse would have to nibble on a felled walnut tree or piece of furniture made of walnut.
The shells that house walnuts can be infested with fungi (Penitrem A) - these in turn are able to produce toxins and thereby provoke vomiting, tremors and nerve spasms, especially in dogs.
Note: The nuts themselves can also be infected with fungi and cause damage.