Datura Poisoning in a Family - A Tale of Mistaken Identity

Numerous plants are traditionally grown in kitchen gardens and consumed by the general population. Incidents of accidental ingestion of harmful plants due to their striking resemblance with the edible ones are well-known. Cases: A family of three (a mother and her two children) unintentionally consumed leaves of small plants of Datura stramonium, instead of Solanum nigrum. They were admitted in intensive care unit with anticholinergic symptoms, treated symptomatically and discharged. On probing further, it is understood that both the plants look similar when young. However, it is easy to distinguish between them when the plants are fully grown. Conclusion: It is essential to educate the public regarding proper identification of locally available leafy vegetables that are fit for consumption. Also, clinicians should have a high index of suspicion in such cases of family poisoning even in the absence of a reliable history.