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PLEASE NOTE:
"Poisonous" does not mean deadly. Some manifestations of toxicity are subtle. The dose, as always, determines if a plant is safe source of nutrients or a toxic hazard.

Frequently (and not so frequently) Asked Questions

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BRIEF: Could you provide me with some information about Tung Oil?


QUESTION:
We are trying to find the analysis of meal produced from the hulls of tung oil tree nuts. We also need to know if it is safe for cattle to graze on grass around the tung oil trees.

ANSWER:

I wouldn't mess with the tung oil meal. And I have no figures on the hulls. Would the cattle be eating the tung nuts? Tung oil has some nasty phorbol esters in it which have been impliated in esophageal cancer in humans and lab animals and can be very irritating. You might enquire with the Hawaiian agriculture department about tung tree safety issues...