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Toxic Effects to Tung Oil Trees

Tung oil trees produce fruit that are harvested for many uses. The fruit is used to make an oil that is used in many products. However, if ingested, this oil can be toxic. Both the leaves and seeds are poisonous and can cause many health effects. In extreme cases, it can even cause death.

  1. Tung Tree Scientific Classifications

    • Tung trees are from the the Euphorbiaceae family in the Plant Kingdom. Its scientific name or species is Vernicia fordii. It also has a variety of other common names such as: tungoil tree, tung-oil tree, Chinawood oil tree and Kalo nut tree. It produces a small fruit that falls once a year. The inner part of this fruit is used to extract the oil known as tung tree oil.

    Tung Tree Origin and Oil

    • Tung trees are native to Asia but are now commonly found in Florida. They thrive in moist, acidic soils and usually need to reach at least three years to bear fruit. Once the fruit has fallen, usually in late September or early November in the U.S., it is dried for several weeks. Afterward, the harder external shell is removed and the oil is extracted from the inside.

    Tung Tree Toxic Effects

    • If ingested, tung tree leaves or seeds can cause minor to severe health effects. The seeds are the most toxic but the symptoms can results from the leaves as well. Symptoms usually result within 30 minutes of ingestion and subside within 24 hours. If eaten, the tung tree's toxin can cause vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, fatigue or even death. The effects are gastritis, abdominal cramping, dizziness, fatigue, slow reflexes and dehydration.

    Tung Tree Oil Uses

    • Get treatment quickly if you consume tung tree oil.

      Tung tree has been historically used and is still used to this day in several types of construction materials and finishes. The most common products that contain tung tree oil are paints, varnishes, sealers and finishes. The outer shell is also used as mulch but can not be fed to livestock as it too contains the toxins that exists in the leaves and fruit. It can also be used as fuel if burned.

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