Holding flowers in their mouths for selfies has become a wildly popular trend on Chinese social media. There are countless articles showing bloggers how to pose with flowers, such as placing them next to their faces, covering their mouths, putting them on their ears, or even holding them in their mouths—all just to capture beautiful “selfies”.
Media outlets like South China Morning Post and China News reported on June 16 the story of a university student who held a toxic flower in her mouth and later had to be rushed to the hospital in a life-threatening condition.
The student in question is from Zhengzhou, Henan Province. While taking selfies with a roadside flower, she posed like a fairy by holding it in her mouth. After returning home, she felt dizzy and had blurred vision but dismissed it, thinking it was just normal fatigue. By the next day, her condition worsened; she was vomiting and experiencing continuous diarrhea.
Recognizing the signs of poisoning, her family quickly took her to the hospital. Thanks to timely medical attention, she survived the critical situation and is slowly recovering, although her poisoning was quite severe.
Doctors confirmed that the student had been poisoned by the sap of the nerium oleander after picking the flower and holding it in her mouth. Health experts warn that the leaves, flowers, branches, and stems of the nerium oleander are highly toxic and can cause serious illness or death.
On Xiaohongshu, China’s e-commerce and social media platform, there are also numerous posts from women who have experienced poisoning after holding nerium oleander flowers in their mouths for photos.
One person wrote: “I started feeling strange reactions and dizziness while taking pictures. I thought it was just my body being weak. Luckily, I quickly spat the flower out because of its taste. This saved my life.”
Nerium oleander is referred to by some as “the dangerously alluring plant.” It is one of the most toxic plants, with all parts—roots, stems, leaves, flowers—containing toxins.
Among the toxins in nerium oleander, some compounds can be fatal, especially for children. Many reports indicate that in some cases, just a small amount of poison is enough to be lethal. Some documents state that ingesting 10-20 leaves of nerium oleander can be life-threatening for an adult; even one leaf can be fatal for a child.
Those poisoned by nerium oleander may experience nerve paralysis, nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain, arrhythmia, poor circulation, muscle weakness, and even coma or death if not treated promptly. The sap from nerium oleander can cause skin irritation, swelling, and severe eye irritation, which can lead to blindness if severe.
Sun Yan, a staff member at the Zhengzhou Botanical Garden, stated that the toxins in nerium oleander can harm the digestive and cardiovascular systems. Ms. Sun advised, “The nerium oleander plant secretes a milky fluid, and people should avoid touching it.”
“The toxins will cause stomach reactions such as nausea, vomiting, electrolyte disturbances, and muscle weakness,” said Dr. Wang Huangyu from Zhengzhou University Hospital. Dr. Wang also mentioned, “There is still a risk of death.”