Are Oleanders poisonous?

Oh you betcha, they definitely are extremely poisonous. We had a family friend who decided to use an oleander branch to barbecue with by putting the meat on the thick branches for shish kebabs while they cooked. It killed him. Cooking or drying oleanders out won’t get rid of the poisons either. Oleander is considered one of the most poisonous plants around, so even though they are hearty and pretty, they are not a good choice for yards with small children and animals in them. They grow well in sub-tropical areas and in California they are often jokingly called freeway plants because so many roads are decorated with them using Oleanders for visually appealing, low maintenance landscaping. They grow rapidly, spread to thick bushes and make great dividers on a meridian. Deer won’t eat them either. They can take different soils and are fairly drought resistant. Plus they have a pretty flower with a nice scent so that makes them a useful plant on a number of levels. All parts of the plant are poisonous and most concentrated in the sap.. The poisons in the different parts of the plant can affect your gastrointestinal tract and your heart causing odd and irregular circulation and oleander can affect the central nervous system. The symptoms range from feeling sleepy to seizures, coma and death. Children are even more susceptible to the oleander poisoning since they are smaller. Not only can oleanders poison humans but animals as well, even the large ones like cattle or horses. Those beautiful landscape plants carry a deadly wallop. Mama Nono