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Take care when gardening.......

divebuddy

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So I chopped up a large Agave plant with my chainsaw. What a silly boy! Much wiser now after checking on Google and using an oatmeal soup to calm the horrendous rash and accompanying itching. Fortunately had goggles on so kept the juice from my eyes. Apparently the sap contains sodium oxalate crystals which pierce the skin and cause a nasty reaction. A word of warning for anyone else hacking at foreign plants. Oh and before anyone mentions it, I am not making Tequila from it!
 
I just had to Google it, the Wiki write up doesn't mention anything harmful, indeed it says it's mostly edible with drinkable sap, some prep needed, which one have you got, not doubting you, just for future reference :)
 
Correct they do use parts and the juice for edible things but if you Google Agave itching you get the full story. One guy in usa jumped into his pool to wash it off. Spoke to local garden guy and he won't touch them.
 
Thanks for that, strange that it wasn't mentioned, sounds very nasty, hope you're ok :)
 
The tip given on the one thread to use oatmeal in warm water really seems to have worked. I have very little irritation and nearly all of the rash has gone. My son in law still has blotches from the day before. He was not aware of the problem or the treatment. I bet he is sat with his arms in porridge at the moment. The chainsaw has been stripped and cleaned. Won't use it on a cactus again!
 
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