Laurel – Love the smell, but is it really bad for you?

[Ty Korrigan]

Searching the subject and found this 2010 thread.

Currently having an online discussion/dispute on a gardening page about this subject.

A 74 year old man felt sick after cutting a laurel hedge and his wife believes he was poisoned by the laurel.

I caused uproar by suggesting it was nothing more than a combination of old age, sun, heat, fatigue and 2 stroke fumes.

I've never personally felt any ill effects from cutting or chipping laurel that itself couldn't be attributed to the effort demanded by the job.

      Stuart

 

 

Edited January 22, 2024 by Ty Korrigan

[rapalaman]

So long as he was outside with good ventilation it’s not going to be the Laurel. Chip it up inside a barn or carry the brash/chips in the back of a van/car and then yes the (arsenic?) fumes can really get to you to the point of poisoning

[daltontrees]

12 minutes ago, rapalaman said:

So long as he was outside with good ventilation it’s not going to be the Laurel. Chip it up inside a barn or carry the brash/chips in the back of a van/car and then yes the (arsenic?) fumes can really get to you to the point of poisoning

Cyanide, not arsenic.

[rapalaman]

49 minutes ago, daltontrees said:

Cyanide, not arsenic.

Aah yes, I stand corrected! Knew it was something nasty 👍

[5thelement]

I’ve heard this Laurel claptrap for years.

The imaginary ‘Guy’ who filled his car and didn’t make it to the tip, sometimes a ‘Woman’ who had bags of chip put in her boot by a friendly tree surgeon, then didn’t make it home, in some cases she crashes and kills  a small child. 
As with all Urban Myths, it changes depending on who is regurgitating said story,

I’ve heard at least a dozen versions, all nonsense. 
There is a small percentage of cyanide present in a few prunus, I’ve chipped and burned them for decades, love the smell, I know no one who has every been harmed, including myself and never seen or heard of any genuine proof either. 

[GarethM]

3 minutes ago, 5thelement said:

I’ve heard this Laurel claptrap for years.

The imaginary ‘Guy’ who filled his car and didn’t make it to the tip, sometimes a ‘Woman’ who had bags of chip put in her boot by a friendly tree surgeon, then didn’t make it home, in some cases she crashes and kills  a small child. 
As with all Urban Myths, it changes depending on who is regurgitating said story,

I’ve heard at least a dozen versions, all nonsense. 
There is a small percentage of cyanide present in a few prunus, I’ve chipped and burned them for decades, love the smell, I know no one who has every been harmed, including myself and never seen or heard of any genuine proof either. 

Probably like the daddy longlegs being the most poisonous spider without large enough fangs to be a threat.

[5thelement]

1 minute ago, GarethM said:

Probably like the daddy longlegs being the most poisonous spider without large enough fangs to be a threat.

But ‘Thunder’ does turn milk sour? ….right?

[GarethM]

17 minutes ago, 5thelement said:

But ‘Thunder’ does turn milk sour? ….right?

I thought there was no point crying over spilt milk ?

[maybelateron]

Three of us sat in the chip box to eat our lunch one day, because it was raining heavily. The box was half - two thirds full of chipped laurel. We did start to feel a bit off/weak/whoozy after  a while so we got out. I am not one who is prone to suggestion etc, so I think it was the fumes, nice though they smell.

[Steve Bullman]

4 hours ago, 5thelement said:

I’ve heard this Laurel claptrap for years.

The imaginary ‘Guy’ who filled his car and didn’t make it to the tip, sometimes a ‘Woman’ who had bags of chip put in her boot by a friendly tree surgeon, then didn’t make it home, in some cases she crashes and kills  a small child. 
As with all Urban Myths, it changes depending on who is regurgitating said story,

I’ve heard at least a dozen versions, all nonsense. 
There is a small percentage of cyanide present in a few prunus, I’ve chipped and burned them for decades, love the smell, I know no one who has every been harmed, including myself and never seen or heard of any genuine proof either. 

You obviously never heard about the tramp who snacked on them and died on a park bench then