Olivia Siong Channel NewsAsia 7 Nov 11;
SINGAPORE: Singapore's first Healing Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens is home to some 500 species of plants with healing properties.
Though they may look harmless, about 200 of them belong to the toxic plant section.
Dr Nigel Taylor, director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, said: "The majority of plants in the world are toxic or at least inedible to some degree, so we shouldn't conclude from seeing there's a toxic plant section that all the other plants are safe. They're not."
"The majority of plants are to some degree poisonous. However, the plants at this part of the Healing Garden are particularly toxic and they can only be used for healing purposes in very small amounts."
One such plant is the Indian Tree Spurge.
Dr Taylor explained that the plant's sap can cause blindness, and death if ingested.
However, he added that if "treated in the right way, made into a poultice it can help in the healing of bones."
Other plants include the Dumbcane and the Oleander, which could affect your nervous system or cause death if eaten.
The toxic plant section is currently closed to the public.
It is only accessible through guided tours, which begin in the first quarter of next year.
For now, visitors can enjoy viewing the other "not-so-toxic" healing plants.
Visitor Mr Jimmy Wong said: "We came here out of curiosity, and we saw that it's very informative, very educational."
Ms Sybil Schwencke said: "I think it's very good to take time off and calm down here."
The 2.5-hectare garden is open from 5:00 am to 7:30 pm daily.
- CNA/cc
