Not so much a use but a property. One of my friends acquired some Austrocylindropuntia cuttings and was told that if spiked enough times it would lead to paralysis. Has anyone heard of this? The only time I've heard anything even remotely like this was in relation to euphrobia sap.
Sounds like an "old wives tale" to me. Cactus spines are benign. It would be the same as telling a carpenter that getting lots of wood-slivers would paralize him. So don't worry, getting poked can be painful -especially when the tip breaks off under the skin and you have to deal with it for a week -but that is all part of the fun!
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
And, I have seen some ginormous spines on some of those suckers that one could shove through somebody's vertebrae...but that's about the only way I know you could be paralyzed from them....
Hey sorry to bring this up but it was acually me who told Prier about this myth. Here is a pic so you can see it for your self.
I was told by the person that I got this cutting from that he has seen people poisoned before from the mother...
So I dont have anything to worry about?
Yes, I can't view the image. But again, if there is a persistant problem, you've got a piece of spine stuck under your skin. While it isn't poisonous, it could certainly get infected and that would be really bad.
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
