This is a PSA: Do not eat random berries you find in peopleâs front yards. Alicia Silverstone, visiting London with her family, apparently walked past what looked like a cherry tomato plant in someoneâs (gated!) front yard, and to settle a disagreement over what it was, bit into the colorful berry-like fruit. Unable to reach a consensus, she took to TikTok to see if anyone could identify the plant, as itâs manifestly not cherry tomatoes (although, in fairness, it looks a lot like a cherry tomato from the outside).
TikTok did what it does best and quickly identified the snack as what looks likeâ¦Solanum pseudocapsicum, also known as a Jerusalem cherry. Itâs in the nightshade family (as are tomatoes), and itâs âmildly poisonous,â according to Medline Plus.
In the comments on Silverstoneâs original post, viewers are both impressed and concerned. âEating random stuff from bushes when you donât know what it is, is a level of non anxiety I can only aspire to,â wrote one. âNot very mindful⦠not very demureâ¦,â cautioned another. The âsheâs cluelessâ jokes are plentiful. Most agreed that poisonous or not, eating plants you havenât identified and picking plants from private property are both no-noâs in general.
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Itâs unclear how much of the fruit Silverstone consumed; however, per Medline Plus, symptoms of poisoning are often delayed, showing up 8 to 10 hours after ingestion. Jerusalem cherry poisoning can impact both the gastrointestinal and central nervous systems, resulting in delirium and stomach pain, among other symptoms. This kind of poisoning can be âvery dangerous,â and it is suggested that people who consume Jerusalem cherries, also called winter cherries or Christmas cherries, immediately call poison control.
As of this writing, Alicia Silverstone has not updated the internet on her condition, but we wish her good health and leave people with this message from Medline: âDO NOT touch or eat any unfamiliar plant.â
