TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Three women at a teahouse in Taitung's Beinan Township reported dizziness, confusion, and other neurological symptoms after drinking tea on Sept. 6, requesting an ambulance to rush them to a hospital, per CNA.
The trio, including a pair of sisters, suspected the oolong tea they consumed was the cause of their discomfort. After some questioning, they admitted to eating leaves of a wild plant they had collected earlier, while visiting Zhiben's White Jade Waterfall.
They thought they ate bitter leaf, which has medicinal properties such as aiding digestion. However, they mistakenly consumed angel's trumpet, which can induce paralysis, as well as visual and auditory hallucinations.
The following day, Taitung County Public Health Department, along with one of the poisoned women, returned to the tea house to collect a sample of the tea and the plant they had eaten. The tea did not contain any pesticides or other harmful elements.
The plant, however, was confirmed to be the angel's trumpet, which caused them to experience anticholinergic toxicity. Emergency room doctors quickly diagnosed their illness and administered medicine, allowing them to be released from the hospital.
Each woman had consumed one raw leaf of the angel's trumpet plant, which they collected from the parking lot of the waterfall. Within 30 minutes of consumption, they began to experience extreme physical discomfort.
According to the Food and Drug Administration website, Brugmansia suaveolens, also known as angel's trumpet, is frequently found in low-altitude areas. The entire plant is poisonous, as flowers contain ingredients that have anesthetic properties that relax muscles and inhibit sweating.
Ingestion of any part of the plant can cause more severe symptoms. This includes dry mouth, heart palpitations, dizziness, hallucinations, drowsiness, and muscle paralysis, including coma.
Health officials remind the public that Taitung is ecologically diverse with a large number of wild animals and plants. The public is encouraged to avoid picking wild plants for human consumption if they are unsure of their properties or taxonomy.
