A foundation within the Office of the President is looking into claims that a number of migrants may be using twigs from the highly toxic oleander tree to brush their teeth, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt.

Mario Gerada, coordinator of The President’s Hub for Ethnobotanical Research, told this newspaper that the hub was alerted to this worrying fact by migrants during a consultancy meeting. The hub’s mission is “to explore and inspire relationships between people through their cultural experience of the natural world”.

“The indication we got is that this is quite a widespread habit. However, we have absolutely no data – we have therefore applied for funding to conduct research on the issue.”

Several ethnic groups often use the miswak to clean their teeth. Photo: Shutterstock

People in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, India and central and southeast Asia commonly used the miswak, a teeth-cleaning twig made from the mustard tree.

A traditional and natural alternative to the modern toothbrush, it has a long, well-documented history and is reputed for its medicinal benefits.

The oleander tree, on the other hand, is one of the most poisonous of all commonly grown plants and is very common in Malta.

Ingesting oleander plant parts can result in a variety of symptoms ranging from moderate to severe or fatal. These include skin rash, blurred vision, diarrhoea, nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, loss of appetite, irregular or slowed heartbeat, weakness, low blood pressure, confusion, dizziness, headache, fainting, depression, drowsiness or lethargy.

The oleander tree is one of the most poisonous of all commonly grown plants and is very common in Malta

Mr Gerada said that informal meetings had been conducted with the public health sector but officials did not seem to be aware of the issue.

“Could it be that people are entering hospital with an ailment such as stomach pain but the true reason behind is going undetected? This is one of the questions we are asking.

“The research will help us create awareness on which plants are toxic. We might also need to think of ways of imparting knowledge of Maltese flora to foreigners.”

Maria Pisani, director of Integra, an NGO which supports inclusive, non-discriminating and non-disabling societies, told this newspaper that she only learnt of the issue because she was a member of the hub.

“To be honest, I was not aware that the oleander was poisonous either. I think it’s a serious issue that reflects a bigger issue: that sometimes, taken-for-granted knowledge is not so obvious to migrants (and returned migrants like myself!) so clearly there is a need for education on the issue.”

Ahmed Ibrahim from the African Media Association Malta said that the miswak was bought daily from shops but he was not aware of any migrants using the oleander tree.

“However, we will be examining this risk to ensure the safety of migrants.”