Alicia Silverstone alarmed her fans this week when she posted a clip on TikTok of herself biting into a poisonous fruit that was torn off on the side of the road during a trip in England, NOVA reported.
The actress from the movie “Clueless“ said she thought the fruit might be a tomato, but realized it wasn't after a few bites revealed its unpleasant peppery flavor.
It seems that this “tomato“ was Jerusalem cherry (Solanum pseudocapsicum), which, along with true tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and potatoes, is a member of the Solanaceae family. Although the fruits (and potato tubers) of most of these crops are safe to eat, their leaves can be toxic.
„If you are not 100% sure that something is food, please do not put it in your mouth“, Alicia advised her fans.
All parts of the Jerusalem cherry, which is sold as a houseplant, are poisonous not only to humans but also to dogs, cats and horses, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Particularly dangerous can be the unripe fruits of the plant, which cause damage to the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract, including delirium, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, paralysis, etc.
Consumption of large amounts can be fatal. Silverstone was lucky because, she says, she did not ingest the fruit, and also perhaps because the fruit was reddish-orange, indicating that it was ripe.
The actress posted a photo on her profile on the X social network that she is alive and well.