Hollywood star shocks fans by eating extremely poisonous berry from London garden, asks fans: ‘What is this?’
Actress Alicia Silverstone, who has no idea what she’s doing, has shocked fans with her poisonous snack choice, filming herself casually biting into a poisonous berry that can cause fever and terrible stomach pains.
The 47-year-old Hollywood star posted a clip to her TikTok channel in which she can be seen eating a small orange berry she picked in a London garden, asking fans ‘what the hell is that?’
In response to the video, which has been viewed 1.1 million times on TikTok, fans warned the actor that the plant is a “poisonous” Jerusalem plant Cherry and urged her to keep them updated on how she was feeling.
Others joked that she “clearly has no idea” and wondered why she would eat “random, unknown things off the street.”
But doctors say that all parts of the plant are poisonous, especially the unripe fruits. If you eat them, you may experience fever, sweating, vomiting, stomach pain, headache and increased heart rate.
Actress Alicia Silverstone, who has no idea what’s going on, shocked 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 herself picking a small orange berry and biting into it, asking fans ‘what the heck is that?’
Silverstone told her 4.3 million followers she unknowingly ate a potentially dangerous plant: ‘I discovered something, but I don’t know what it is. I need your help.
‘I just bit into it because I was on the street and we were discussing whether this was a tomato or not.
‘It’s definitely not a tomato because of the leaves.
What is this now?
After holding the orange berry up to the camera, she confessed that she didn’t think it was edible.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to eat this. But it’s almost like a pepper,” she said.
“Does anyone know what this is? I need someone to tell me. I’m in England.”
Unknowingly eating a potentially dangerous plant, Silverstone filmed herself picking the berry from a London garden with her bare hands and biting into it (left). The plant (pictured flattened on the ground on the right) is part of the Solanaceae family and is ‘harmful if eaten’ and should be handled with gloves, according to The Royal Horticultural Society
However, fans soon noticed that it was indeed dangerous to eat.
One social media user commented: ‘OMG NO!! Jerusalem cherry is very poisonous in the nightshade family. I hope you are doing well.’
Another said: ‘Girl! Berries are either awesome or damn poisonous! Don’t eat random bushes.’
A fan said: ‘She clearly has no idea…’
Others warned that the berries can cause itching and are absolutely not safe to eat.
Solanum pseudocapsicum, also known as Christmas cherry or Jerusalem cherry, is a small, bushy, evergreen shrub with dark, glossy leaves and red or orange berries.
The plant belongs to the nightshade family (Solanaceae) and is ‘harmful if eaten’. According to the Royal Horticultural Society, you should wear gloves when handling the plant.
NHS GP Dr Hana Patel warns that eating the plant can be fatal. Deaths have been reported.
She said: ‘If a plant or fruit is eaten, early symptoms may include fever, sweating, vomiting, stomach pain, headache and increased heart rate. Symptoms are delayed for several hours and may last for days.’
She added that it can also cause allergic skin reactions.