Celebrity Chef Nearly Kills People with Salad

UK celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson made a misstep that might have had some serious repercussions if the magazine printing his quote hadn’t noticed the mistake. Thompson accidentally recommended a deadly plant for use in organic salads. The chef and TV presenter told the magazine “Healthy & Organic Living” that the weed henbane, also called stinking nightshade (yum!), is a delicious addition to summertime meals.

From Reuters:

Henbane, or Hyoscyamus niger, is toxic and can cause hallucinations, convulsions, vomiting and in extreme cases death.

Worrall Thompson, who was discussing his passion for organic foods, had confused the plant with another of a similar name.

Henbane, a close relative of deadly nightshade, was used by Dr Crippen to kill his wife in 1910, and is thought to have been the main ingredient in the poison Romeo took in Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet.”

Thompson apparently confused henbane with ‘fat hen’, a weed rich in vitamin C. Um, oops.

Link [Reuters]
Photo credit: Flickr user Catsper

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