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poisonous salad

I don't eat enough salad. That's a damn fact. It's not that I'm not trying. It's just that my diet as a food editor often leads me away from leafy greens. According to a recent story from Reuters, maybe that's not such a bad thing:

Celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson has apologized after accidentally recommending a potentially deadly plant in organic salads.

The chef and TV presenter said in a magazine article that the weed henbane, also known as stinking nightshade, made an excellent addition to summertime meals.

But here's the thing—henbane is not only deadly, it can cause hallucinations, convulsions and vomiting. This from Herbs2000.com:

All parts of the plant are poisonous, and if eaten, even small amounts cause anything from dizziness to delirium. Too much brings slow and painful death.

It seems that during an interview with Healthy and Organic Living magazine, Mr. Worrall had confused the plant with another, non-lethal, herb known as fat hen. The magazines fact checkers failed to catch the mistake, causing the editors to run a frantic warning for its readers not to cultivate and eat henbane.

Just goes to show that even celebrity chefs could kill you. I could see Gordon Ramsey (language NSF) poisoning a salad in a fit of psychotic rage, or maybe if Bobby Flay got too competitive on Throwdown...