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Botanical illustration of Nicotiana Glauca
MedicinalSourced entry

Nicotiana Glauca

Nicotiana glauca

Tree tobacco, a yellow-flowered shrub from South America that now grows wild in dry regions worldwide. Its leaves contain anabasine, a nicotine-like poison; eating them has stopped people breathing.

Safety at a glance

  • PregnancyNothing recorded
  • BreastfeedingNothing recorded
  • MedicinesNothing recorded
  • Who should avoid itNothing recorded
  • AllergiesNothing recorded
  • Toxicity2 notes →

Tap a box to read the safety notes below. “Nothing recorded” means our sources don't cover it, not that it's safe.

What is Nicotiana Glauca?

Plant family
Solanaceae, the nightshade family
Parts used
The leaves (poisonous)
Where it grows
Argentina and Bolivia; now a weed in dry regions in 66 countries
Genus
Nicotiana
Species
glauca

Also called

Tree Tobacco

Traditionally used for

  • None recommended

Traditionally described as

  • Poisonous
  • Antioxidant (in lab studies)

Natural compounds

Anabasine

Safety

Toxicity testing

  • Don't eat any part of this plant. A 65-year-old woman boiled and ate a few leaves of a new plant "with yellow flowers". Within about an hour she vomited, felt weak, and then stopped breathing and couldn't move. She needed a breathing machine for 3 days before recovering fully.[1]Study

  • Its poison, anabasine, first causes a fast heartbeat, small pupils and trembling. Larger amounts can stop breathing, cause paralysis and collapse the heart and circulation. Poisoning can also happen through the skin.[1]Study

What does the research say?

Laboratory & animal research

Lab and animal results show what might be worth studying in people. They don't show that the herb has these effects in humans.

  • Tree tobacco leaves contain anabasine, a nicotine-like poison. Every one of 174 leaf samples tested in Brazil contained it, and no leaf size, plant age or season reliably had low levels.[2]Study

  • In lab tests, a leaf extract showed antioxidant activity and killed some cancer cells.[3]Study

In short

Eating even a few leaves can cause paralysis and stop breathing.

Sources

  1. [1] Ingestion of A Common Plant's Leaves Leads to Acute Respiratory Arrest and Paralysis: A Case Report · DOI: 10.5811/cpcem.2020.5.46703Peer-reviewed study
  2. [2] Persistent foliar anabasine and unusually broad geographic distribution make Nicotiana glauca a distinctive toxicological concern · DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2026.109325Peer-reviewed study
  3. [3] Nicotiana glauca leaf extract exhibits synergistic antioxidant and anticancer activities revealed by phytochemical profiling and molecular docking · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-67585-9Peer-reviewed study

This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Unfamiliar word? See what these words mean.