Frequent poisoning due to confusion between edible plant and poisonous plant
Bitter gourds confused with edible gourds, saffron oenanthus confused with wild carrots, datura leaves confused with horned tetragone leaves or colchicum confused with wild garlic… confusions between poisonous plant and edible plant occur regularly (PDF).
Even at low doses, the consumption of certain toxic plants can cause serious, even fatal poisoning. Whether you collect plants in the wild or in your vegetable garden, you should therefore be extremely vigilant and follow a few tips to avoid accidents.
The Agency’s recommendations
If you collect plants in nature :
- do not eat the collected plant in case of doubt regarding its identification!
- immediately stop eating if the plant has an unusual or unpleasant taste;
- do not pick armfuls, to avoid picking several species and mixing toxic species with edible species;
- photograph your picking to facilitate identification in case of poisoning.
If you collect plants in your vegetable garden :
- if in doubt regarding its identification, do not eat the harvested plant!
- don’t improvise: make sure you know what the plant that will grow looks like. Help yourself with photographs of the plant available on the bag of seeds purchased or on other media (books, websites);
- remain vigilant: it is not because a seedling emerges where it was sown that it comes from the sown lot;
- be aware of the risk of confusion when harvesting plants from a transplant from one year to the next;
- photograph your picking to facilitate identification in case of poisoning.
In the slightest doubt following ingestion or in the presence of symptoms, digestive or other, in the hours following the consumption of plants collected in a domestic vegetable garden or in nature, contact a poison control center without delay.
