Good Morning, I have a Madagascar Jewel (Euphorbia leuconeura) in my office here at work - it's gotten quite big over the years, about 3' tall with many offspring around as well. For the past while (year or so) I seem to get headaches in the mid afternoon, and feel kind of dazed occasionally as well. I know they are known to be poisonous, but is there any danger from just having them in the same room for extended periods? Ie, 8 hrs a day, 5 days a week? It would be a shame to have to get rid of him after raising him from a sprout!
I am not aware of any plant that can harm a human being by just sitting quietly in the same room with them. Toxic mold, carbon monoxide leak, psychosomatic symptoms because you subconsciously hate your job, or offgassing of chemicals from plastic/carpet/drywall/etc. are all a lot more likely. Also, any plant that could cause this problem wouldn't suddenly start doing it after years of problem-free cohabitation; you'd have noticed before this if it were the plant. ETA: Not saying you hate your job, just that I'd believe that as the reason for the symptoms before I believed the plants are the reason for the symptoms.
I've read of and experienced this effect but can't say if it applies to your plant. Orange blossoms can make me giddy. http://www.erowid.org/plants/datura/datura_faq.shtml 1 a5) Flowers The flowers are, when closed, cylindrical, but twisted. They outer ends are vividly colored, from a light pink to a deep purple color. They bloom at night, usually around 4 or 5 pm. The rest of the flower is off-white to light yellow in color. The aroma of the flowers, it appears, in all species of the plant, is difficult to describe. The plant has a definite 'presence' in a room. From reports, I have found that people have become intoxicated from the very aroma of the plants. Again, we are faced with two possibilities. Either this is a psychosomatic effect or the aroma is actually scopolamine-based (scopolaminic?).
