Most of us are warned as children not to eat things we don’t recognise. But what if you think you do recognise it? Sometimes things are not as they appear, and many plants which are either edible or otherwise harmless bear an uncanny resemblance to much more deadly specimens.
Daffodils
Although daffodils may not strike as a particularly dangerous plant, the bulbs are in fact poisonous. Though accidental ingestion is rare, it does occur. For example, in 2014 there were 27 recorded cases of poisoning caused by accidentally eating daffodil bulbs. The bulbs contain two toxic chemicals; lycorine and oxalates. When ingested, these cause vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. There can also be severe burning to the lips, tongue and throat. Though not usually fatal, many animals have died from eating daffodils. In the UK, accidental ingestion is more common among the Chinese community, as daffodil bulbs look extremely similar to chinese onions which are used in many dishes.
Hemlock
Known in Scotland as ‘dead man’s oatmeal’, hemlock can be mistaken for numerous edible herbs, most notably parsley. The white roots also look uncannily like wild carrot. Famously, Socrates was killed with a drink brewed with hemlock – the slowly paralysing effects of the plant apparently providing quite a gentle death. The sensation has been described as a heaviness in the limbs and a general feeling of fatigue. Other people have ingested the plant accidently – in 1845 a Scottish tailor died after eating a sandwich that contained hemlock, which had been mistaken for wild parsley by his children.
Deadly Nightshade
Deadly nightshade, as its name might suggest, is extremely toxic. Given the plants bright and delicious looking berries, it is unsurprising that they are mistaken for edible fruit. Nightshade contains atropine, an alkaloid which causes rapid heartbeat, hallucinations, and seizures when ingested. However, atropine also has some medicinal uses, such as in anesthetics and as an antidote to nerve gas.
It is most often children that accidentally ingest deadly nightshade berries, but sometimes adults are deceived as well. In 2013, a 49 year old woman from Turkey almost died after eating large quantities of what she believed to be ‘forest fruits’ – it was only when her family showed doctors what she had been snacking on that they realised she had in fact been eating deadly nightshade.
Aconite
In 1856 two guests at a dinner party in Dingwall were killed after consuming sauce that a servant had added aconite to after mistaking it for horseradish. Other unfortunate people have been poisoned after accidentally mistaking the root for wild carrots as, like hemlock, they look remarkably similar. The alkaloids in aconite paralyzes the nervous system and eventually stops the heart. The poison was well known to the ancient Greeks, and was even used experimentally in poisoned bullets during the Second World War.
Mistaken Identity
As most people buy their food from grocers and supermarkets today, cases of misidentification are much less common than they used to be. However, the increased popularity of foraging means that people may be more at risk of picking the wrong plant. It’s always recommended you go foraging with a qualified and experienced guide, and if there is any doubt at all, leave it well alone!
Sources and Further Reading
https://www.poison.org/articles/2015-mar/daffodils
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31176748
Stewart, A., Wicked Plants; The A-Z of Plants that Kill, Maim, Intoxicate and otherwise Offend, (2016)
Demirhan A, Tekelioğlu ÜY, Yıldız İ, et al. Anticholinergic Toxic Syndrome Caused by Atropa Belladonna Fruit (Deadly Nightshade): A Case Report. Turk J Anaesthesiol Reanim. 2013;41(6):226-228. doi:10.5152/TJAR.2013.43