# Is White Snakeroot Pollen Safe To Eat?



## BeekeepingwithBoys (Apr 30, 2021)

I noticed the bees are bringing in an increase of White pollen. I saw a bee today on the plant below. I looked it up and it seems to be White snakeroot and poisonous to humans. This is what they believe Abraham Lincoln’s mother died from. My question is… is the pollen safe to consume? Thoughts?


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Don't overthink it.
If it was toxic to the bees, lots of colonies would have died in late summer from it - not the case.

Foliage and roots are toxic - says Google.
Does not mean the pollen is toxic.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

My advice is to avoid eating the pollen. The risk involved is simply _not worth_ whatever benefit one _might_ get from the pollen.

While I did not see anything that specifically addresses pollen toxicity, the plant is toxic for mammals. Plenty to read here:




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snakeroot ageratina altissima: Topics by Science.gov






www.science.gov


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