Unsuspecting actress Alicia Silverstone has shocked her fans with her poisonous snack choice: she filmed herself carelessly biting into a poisonous berry that can cause fever and excruciating stomach pain.
The 47-year-old Hollywood star posted a clip on her TikTok channel showing her eating a small orange berry she picked in a London garden while asking her fans “what the hell” it was.
In response to the video, which garnered 1.1 million views on TikTok, fans warned the actor that the plant was a “poisonous” Jerusalem cherry and urged her to tell them how she felt.
Others joked that she was “obviously clueless” and asked why she was eating “random, unknown things from the street.”
However, doctors point out that all parts of the plant are poisonous, especially the unripe fruits, the consumption of which can cause fever, sweating, stomach pain, headaches and heart palpitations.
Clueless actress Alicia Silverstone shocked her fans when she ate a poisonous berry from a London garden that can cause fever and stomach pain
The 47-year-old Hollywood star filmed himself picking a small orange berry and biting into it while asking fans what the hell it was.
Silverstone told her 4.3 million followers that she had unknowingly eaten a potentially dangerous plant: “I discovered something and I can’t figure out what it is and I need your help.”
“I just bit into it because I was on the street and we were debating whether it was a tomato or not.”
“Based on the leaves, it’s definitely not a tomato.”
“So what the hell is this?”
After holding the orange berry up to the camera, she confessed that she didn’t think it was edible.
“I don’t think you should eat it. But it’s almost like a pepper,” she said.
“Does anyone know what this is? Someone can tell me. I’m in England.”
Silverstone filmed herself unknowingly eating a potentially dangerous plant. She picked the berry from a London garden with her bare hands and took a bite (left). The plant belongs to the nightshade family (right, squashed on the ground), is “harmful if eaten” and should be handled with gloves, according to the Royal Horticultural Society.
However, fans quickly realized that consuming it was actually dangerous.
One social media user commented: “Oh my god NO!! The Jerusalem cherry is a very poisonous nightshade. Hope you’re OK.”
Another said: “Girls! Berries are either great or damn poisonous! Don’t eat anything from the bush.”
One fan said: “She obviously has no idea…”
Others warned that the berries could cause itching and were definitely not safe to eat.
Solanum pseudocapsicum, also known as Christmas cherry or Jerusalem cherry, is a small bushy, evergreen shrub that produces dark, glossy leaves and red or orange berries.
The plant belongs to the nightshade family, is “harmful if eaten” and should be handled with gloves, according to the Royal Horticultural Society.
Dr. Hana Patel, a general practitioner with the NHS, warns that eating the plant can be fatal and deaths have already been reported.
She said: “When plants or fruits are eaten, the first symptoms may be fever, sweating, vomiting, stomach pain, headache and increased heart rate. Symptoms do not appear for several hours and may last for several days.”
She added that it can also cause allergic skin reactions.
