Surprisingly, you don't have to look far to find examples of poisonous food in cultures around the world!
Fugu (pufferfish) is probably the best known example of a food which is poisonous.
Several organs of the pufferfish contain a potent neurotoxin (tetrodotoxin) which shut down the action of your muscles, causing the sufferer to become paralyzed and eventually causing death by asphyxiation. There is no antidote for tetrodotoxin, and it takes only a tiny amount to cause death. (Tetrodotoxin is 10 times more poisonous than cyanide.)
A deft chef, after several years of training, apprenticeship, and official certification, can slice the flesh of the pufferfish for diners, while leaving behind the toxic organs, and without allowing the toxin to leach from the organs into the flesh IN THEORY. In practice, official records show between 20 and 44 cases of fugu poisoning happen in Japan every year.
Every part of the Pokeweed plant is poisonous, but that doesn't keep people from cooking it up every spring, particularly in the American South, where it is considered both a delicacy and a medicinal food.
The tender young leaves of the Pokeweed plant can be prepared as a boiled salad called "poke salad." This preparation includes boiling the leaves in several changes of fresh water, in order to leach out the poison. Several surveys have found that toxin still remains in the boiled leaves, although (in theory) it's too minimal to cause damage to those who nosh upon it.
Pokeweed poison causes vomiting, convulsions, and death. An adult can consume fewer than ten Pokeweed berries before toxicity sets in, although this is not recommended. Pokeweed berries are a folk remedy for ailments from arthritis to boils.
Spinach, kale, and Swiss chard all contain "significant" levels of oxalic acid.
I learned about oxalic acid the day I came home and found my cat lying limp in the middle of the living room floor, wheezing and drooling uncontrollably - and my Peace Lily (spathiphyllum) having been knocked off its high shelf and eaten. I phoned Poison Control and they advised me that the oxalic acid in the Peace Lily was poisonous, but that it could be counteracted with a few tablespoons of milk.
I spooned milk into my poor cat's mouth and massaged it down his throat. He made a full recovery within a few hours - and I threw the plant away.
In smaller doses, oxalic acid can eat the calcium out of your system, and cause kidney stones. It is more concentrated in older leaves, which is one reason why baby spinach is so much more tender (and less bitter) than the full-grown leaves.
Cooking can help break down the oxalic acid, and these greens have a lot of benefits to offer which outweigh any potential risk from oxalic acid. Nevertheless, you probably shouldn't eat too much of it raw. This is a big concern for raw foodists and raw smoothie fans, although for most of us, it's probably not that big an issue!
But don't feed it to your cat.
Fugu (pufferfish) is probably the best known example of a food which is poisonous.
Several organs of the pufferfish contain a potent neurotoxin (tetrodotoxin) which shut down the action of your muscles, causing the sufferer to become paralyzed and eventually causing death by asphyxiation. There is no antidote for tetrodotoxin, and it takes only a tiny amount to cause death. (Tetrodotoxin is 10 times more poisonous than cyanide.)
A deft chef, after several years of training, apprenticeship, and official certification, can slice the flesh of the pufferfish for diners, while leaving behind the toxic organs, and without allowing the toxin to leach from the organs into the flesh IN THEORY. In practice, official records show between 20 and 44 cases of fugu poisoning happen in Japan every year.
Every part of the Pokeweed plant is poisonous, but that doesn't keep people from cooking it up every spring, particularly in the American South, where it is considered both a delicacy and a medicinal food.
The tender young leaves of the Pokeweed plant can be prepared as a boiled salad called "poke salad." This preparation includes boiling the leaves in several changes of fresh water, in order to leach out the poison. Several surveys have found that toxin still remains in the boiled leaves, although (in theory) it's too minimal to cause damage to those who nosh upon it.
Pokeweed poison causes vomiting, convulsions, and death. An adult can consume fewer than ten Pokeweed berries before toxicity sets in, although this is not recommended. Pokeweed berries are a folk remedy for ailments from arthritis to boils.
Spinach, kale, and Swiss chard all contain "significant" levels of oxalic acid.
I learned about oxalic acid the day I came home and found my cat lying limp in the middle of the living room floor, wheezing and drooling uncontrollably - and my Peace Lily (spathiphyllum) having been knocked off its high shelf and eaten. I phoned Poison Control and they advised me that the oxalic acid in the Peace Lily was poisonous, but that it could be counteracted with a few tablespoons of milk.
I spooned milk into my poor cat's mouth and massaged it down his throat. He made a full recovery within a few hours - and I threw the plant away.
In smaller doses, oxalic acid can eat the calcium out of your system, and cause kidney stones. It is more concentrated in older leaves, which is one reason why baby spinach is so much more tender (and less bitter) than the full-grown leaves.
Cooking can help break down the oxalic acid, and these greens have a lot of benefits to offer which outweigh any potential risk from oxalic acid. Nevertheless, you probably shouldn't eat too much of it raw. This is a big concern for raw foodists and raw smoothie fans, although for most of us, it's probably not that big an issue!
But don't feed it to your cat.
Photo credit: Flickr/tokyofoodcast