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Watch: Alicia Silverstone appears to eat poisonous plant in London

Actress confirms she is ‘alive and well’ after filming herself with fruit that can cause fever, vomiting, stomach pain and high heart rate

Alicia Silverstone has filmed herself apparently eating a toxic plant on a visit to the UK. 
Silverstone, the star of Clueless and Batman & Robin, posted a video on social media in which she inspected the fruit of a plant in a garden.
The 47-year-old actress filmed herself taking a bite of the small red fruit despite being “unable to figure out what it is”.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) told The Telegraph the berry being eaten in the video was the “definitely not edible” Christmas cherry, better known as solanum pseudocapsicum. It is officially labelled as “harmful if eaten”.
Almost a day later, the actress reassured her followers that she was “alive and well” in a social media post, adding that she “didn’t swallow” the toxic plant.
The update ended hours of concerns for Silverstone, after her followers pointed out that she had eaten the fruit of the solanum pseudocapsicum, a variety of nightshade.
Every part of the plant is toxic, especially the fruit, which can cause fever, sweating, vomiting, stomach pain, headache and increased heart rate if eaten.
The actress posted the video on her Instagram story late on Monday night, followed by three more an hour later showing a brand appealing for make-up artists during New York Fashion Week.
In the video, she tells her audience: “I just bit into it because it was on the street and we were discussing whether it was a tomato or not. It’s definitely not, because look at these leaves.”
“I don’t think you’re supposed to eat this. But it’s almost like a pepper. Does anyone know what this is? I don’t know what it is, I need someone to tell me. I’m in England.”
In the video, the actress appears to be in an upmarket area of London and has apparently reached through a fence to pluck one of the fruits from a potted plant. She had already bitten into one before she filmed herself requesting help to identify it.
Experts say this year has been a bumper berry growth in the UK thanks to ideal weather conditions. An RHS spokesman said: “This is thanks to a mild spring, with no frosts when the plants were in flower, and enough time between rain showers to allow for good pollination. In addition, more rain than usual this summer enabled plants to retain their berries.”
Redcurrants, blueberries and hedgerow blackberries have thrived, they added, while raspberries have also enjoyed a bumper crop.
Silverstone, who became a leading actress in the 1990s and is known for her animal rights activism and support of veganism, has not made a further statement on her health following the ingestion of the plant.
Silverstone’s interest in veganism and animal welfare has also led her to explore the world of nutrition and publish her own dietary advice.
In 2011, she released The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet.
The work spent 20 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and was later reissued as a paperback printed on 100 per cent recycled paper, with eco-friendly soy ink.
The book urged readers to move away from a diet based on animal products towards a vegan lifestyle, incorporating a larger proportion of whole grains and vegetables.
Her website offers tips on the vegan diet, and lifestyle advice for those moving away from animal products.
In 2007, the actress said that after initially being a fan of steak she had become a “total health nut”, and claimed “I don’t get sick very often and when I do it’s for a short period”.
She added in an interview with InStyle Home:  “It’s empowering to know that you’re responsible for how you feel each day because of the way you treat your body.”
There are numerous plants common in the UK that should not be eaten, including mistletoe, monkshood, and hemlock, which the ancient Athenians used for executions.
Yew trees often found in graveyards are also toxic, and 14-year-old Benn Curran-Nicholls died after eating yew berries in 2022.
At the inquest, coroner Andrew Bridgman said that the Manchester park where  Curran-Nicholls ate the berries should have had signs warning that the tree was poisonous, and warned: “Berries and the like might be attractive to young children who would not recognise the dangers and risks.”
The Office for National Statistics found that in 2016, the last recorded set of deaths caused by ingesting toxic plants, six people died in the UK.

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