A young boy 'felt like he'd been set on fire' when the plant he was using as a 'toy axe' turned out to be giant hogweed. Jesse May had been playing outside with a friend while on a caravan holiday with his mum Kara May in Maidstone, Kent. The boys had been running around with no tops on due to the hot weather and using the plant as a pretend 'axe' to hit each other with.
When the then six-year-old returned to their holiday home, Ms May says her son said his chest felt 'funny'. But after inspecting the area, the 39-year-old claims she couldn't see anything on his skin. It was only when Jesse woke in the morning to find his chest covered in 'oozing' blisters that she knew something was wrong. At first the mum-of-one believed her son was suffering from an allergic reaction or had burned himself so rushed him to a nearby pharmacist. The NHS worker claims this is when the pharmacist explained her son's burns had been caused by a giant hogweed plant.
The Dangers of Giant Hogweed
According to the Royal Horticultural Society, the sap from giant hogweed plants can cause severe burns on human skin due to its reaction with sunlight. Ms May says her son didn't have a bath that evening but claims if he had done, his burns may not have been that severe. Two years on from the incident in June 2024, Ms May is now warning people about the potential dangers of the plant, as eight-year-old Jesse has been left with a six-inch scar on his chest.
Ms May, from Canterbury in Kent, said: 'I was in the caravan and he came back in and he said his chest felt funny. I looked at his chest and I couldn't see anything on it. The next day when he woke up with blisters from his chest right down to his belly button. He said it felt like it was burning. They were pus-filled blisters and where he had rolled in his sleep some had burst. They were oozing and the ones that had burst were bright red and raw skin. I asked him if he had touched anything hot or been by the kettle and burned himself. Once I found out what it was, when I got back to the caravan park, I told the warden and we went round and we found a lot of it in the overgrowth and the woodlands.'
She added: 'They were pulling the plants and using them as an axe and playing. They were oblivious to what it was [the hogweed] and I would have been too if I saw him playing with it. Jesse said when he saw the blisters the next morning the pain felt like he had been set on fire. Little did I know that if I had washed it [his chest] that night it wouldn't have caused the burn that badly. His chest was completely normal the night before and then he had severe blisters. If Jesse had put his hand on his eye [after touching the hogweed sap], the pharmacist said he would have gone blind.'
Long-term Effects and Awareness
While the scar continues to fade, Ms May claims Jesse's skin has been permanently damaged and he's no longer able to go outside in the sun without a t-shirt on. She said: 'It's fading quite a lot now but he has a six-inch scar going down his chest, it looks like a backwards L-shape. The scarring can be permanent but hogweed scars can disappear after six or seven years. That skin is damaged now though and can't go around with his top off, the scar is now photosensitive so it will burn in the sun.'
Ms May is now raising awareness about the potential danger of giant hogweed as she claims the plant can easily be mistaken for harmless cow parsley. Kara said: 'It [giant hogweed] looks like cow parsley. I know that you can't always be sure but if there are any concerns that you might have come into contact with hogweed, go home and wash the area without exposing it to sun as this will prevent the burn.'
What is Giant Hogweed?
Giant Hogweed is a non-native species that was first introduced to the UK as an ornamental plant in the 19th century after being discovered in the Caucasus Mountains and Central Asia. The plant escaped and naturalised in the wild and can now be found across much of the UK - especially on river banks as its seeds are transported by the water. The sap of the weed, which looks like a giant version of the harmless plant cow parsley, is extremely toxic to humans and animals, causing horrific burns on the skin. The skin remains sensitive to UV light for many years - and can even cause blindness if near the eyes. Every year, thousands of people, including children and pets, suffer life-changing injuries from Giant Hogweed after accidentally coming into contact with it out in the wild.
