It was ultimately a highly toxic plant…
A fatal error. A couple from Deutsch-Wagram in Austria died in hospital a few days ago after eating homemade wild garlic soup. And for good reason: it was not wild garlic that they had picked and put in their soup but colchicum, another plant that closely resembles it. Colchicum contains colchicine, a substance highly toxic and potentially fatal”which can lead to organ failure and circulatory shock within a few days.”reports the Austrian daily Kleine Zeitung. In France too, confusion between these two plants is common: the National Food Safety Agency (Handles) reports -between 2020 and 2022- 28 cases of confusion and 2 deaths recorded by Poison Control Centers. These confusions arose mainly in April, a privileged month of picking, in the Grand Est and Rhône-Alpes region. These people had prepared the collected leaves in pesto sauce for half of them, in salad, pan-fried or quiche for the other half.
Symptoms suggestive of poisoning
The severity of the poisoning differs depending on the quantity of leaves ingested, the very variable concentration of colchicine present in the plant, and the association with certain common medications (macrolide antibiotics, vitamin K antagonists, etc.) which can significantly increase the risk. toxic. Among warning symptoms stated by the health authority:
- Heavy diarrhea
- Of the persistent vomiting
- Severe dehydration
- Hypotension (or even cardiovascular shock, with convulsions)
- Abnormal hair loss
- Sometimes, more severe symptoms like the digestive disordersserious hepatic and hematological
3 major differences and photo of the leaves
It’s a mistake: colchicum (Colchicum autumnale) nicknamed “crocus autumn” grows in spring in the same undergrowth as wild garlic (Allium ursinum). The two plants look similar, but have differences:
► Smell : wild garlic is an edible wild plant, with a strong garlic scent especially when we crumple its leaves unlike colchicum.
Only wild garlic smells like garlic!
► Appearance : the flowers of wild garlic are star shaped and its elongated bulb are white in color. The leaves are more or less shiny, oval and pointed, carried by stems. Colchicum leaves are more rigid, stemless, and the bulb is round and dark. The purple flowers of colchicums only appear in autumn, only the leaves are visible in spring (hence the risk of confusion): they are fleshy, with a rounded tip and seem to emerge directly from the ground. All parts of the plant are poisonous.
► Growing location: Wild garlic often grows in large mats in cool undergrowth, the bottom of shady and humid valleys or along streams. Colchicus needs light to develop: it grows best in fresh, deep soil, rich in humus and well drained, not too dry.
Precautions if you pick wild garlic:
- Don’t improvise: make sure you know the plant you’re picking up
- Check for garlic smell to the crumpling of each leaf
- Do not pick the leaves in batches to avoid picking several species and mixing toxic species with edible species.
- If in doubt about identification: do not consume
- Stop eating immediately if you experience a bitter or unpleasant taste
- Photograph your harvest to facilitate identification in the event of poisoning.
At the slightest doubt after ingestion or in the presence of symptoms, particularly digestive symptoms, in the hours following consumption of a dish with wild garlic or wild leek, contact a poison control center or seek medical attention immediately. Call 15 in case of vital distress (coma, respiratory distress, etc.).