A question regardi Nasturtiums

[SIZEMICT]

I understand Nasturtiums have mercury in them and are bad for humans to eat. Why do people feed them to their dragons?

 

[Taterbug]

I've not heard that before, as far as I know nasturtiums are edible for humans too. I think you can buy flowers at some grocers and bakers put them on cakes. I'd be interested to know more, as I grow them for my guy in the summer.

 

[SIZEMICT]

I've not heard that before, as far as I know nasturtiums are edible for humans too. I think you can buy flowers at some grocers and bakers put them on cakes. I'd be interested to know more, as I grow them for my guy in the summer.

Yes they are edible but not necessarily recommended. The mercury amounts are low but the mercury builds up over time as it cannot leave the system and eventually becomes toxic. This was discovered when miners used to eat it regularly and we're getting sick. You can look up miners lettuce as that is the common name for Nasturtiums.

 

[Taterbug]

I actually did look and couldn't find anything. All I can find risk wise about Miner's Lettuce suggests potentially high oxalates which could also cause sickness, and nitrogen accumulation which can also cause poisoning. I can't find anything about Mercury though. Could you share some resources, books or links maybe?

Nasturtiums (Nasturtium sp.) and Miners Lettuce (Montia/Clayton perfoliata) don't appear to be related, nor as interchangeable common names. Though nasturtiums are a member of the brassica family (along with other cress and most of the greens we offer) so it likely contains some level of oxalates and potentially goitrogens too.

 

[SIZEMICT]

I actually did look and couldn't find anything. All I can find risk wise about Miner's Lettuce suggests potentially high oxalates which could also cause sickness, and nitrogen accumulation which can also cause poisoning. I can't find anything about Mercury though. Could you share some resources, books or links maybe?

Nasturtiums (Nasturtium sp.) and Miners Lettuce (Montia/Clayton perfoliata) don't appear to be related, nor as interchangeable common names. Though nasturtiums are a member of the brassica family (along with other cress and most of the greens we offer) so it likely contains some level of oxalates and potentially goitrogens too.

My apologies, I did an extensive search and came up with the same result. I had taken a natural edibles tour with a naturalist in the Santa Cruz mountains and was told that Nasturtiums were edible but they had mercury in them and the whole story about the miners.I was instructed to avoid them. I have always believed that was fact, apparently it must be an urban legend.

 

[Taterbug]

I wonder of the area had Mercury contamination. I am a bit releaved, they are one of the few things I'm halfway good at growing.