Alicia Silverstone’s eating misstep is a lesson

Alicia Silverstone alarmed her fans this week when she posted a TikTok clip of herself nibbling on a poisonous berry she found on the sidewalk during a trip to England. Clueless The actress said she thought the fruit might have been a tomato, but realized it wasn’t after a few bites, which revealed a strange, peppery taste. The tomato lookalike appears to have been a Jerusalem artichoke (Solanum pseudocapsicum), which belongs to the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, along with true tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, potatoes and tomatillos, according to the AP.

All parts of the Jerusalem artichoke sold as a houseplant are toxic not only to humans but also to dogs, cats and horses, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The plant’s unripe berries can be especially dangerous, causing central nervous system and gastrointestinal symptoms, including delirium, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, paralysis and more. Eating large amounts can be fatal. Silverstone was lucky because she didn’t swallow the berries, she says, and perhaps also because the berries were reddish-orange, indicating they were ripe. Other poisonous lookalikes:

• The poisonous fruits of the Carolina horse nettle (Solanum carolinense) also resemble tomatoes. Their common name “devil’s potato” is a clear indication of this.
• Other members of the nightshade family are poisonous to varying degrees. The deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), for example, is so poisonous that it was used as a murder weapon in the Middle Ages. However, its berries could be confused with blueberries. The fruits of the pokeweed and Virginia creeper also resemble blueberries and can be fatal if eaten.
• The poisonous lilies, especially in the early stages, bear a striking resemblance to edible onion and garlic grasses.
• Of the edible wild onion and garlic grasses that sprout on lawns and wastelands in spring, there are other poisonous lookalikes, including the deadly mackerel (Toxicoscordion nuttallii), which often causes poisoning in livestock and is also dangerous to humans.

Conclusion: If you are not 100% sure something is food, please do not put it in your mouth, writes Jessica Damiano. If you think you have accidentally swallowed a poisonous plant, contact a poison control center at www.poison.org or 1-800-222-1222.

(More stories by Alicia Silverstone.)