They thought they had collected delicious wild garlic and wanted to enjoy it. But a couple in Austria died of poisoning after eating what was supposed to be wild garlic soup. They had confused the delicious plant with another plant – and it was highly poisonous!
The wild garlic season is just beginning everywhere and a man and his wife went into the forest on March 11th to find the delicious herb. But the trip had fatal consequences.
The couple collected wild garlic and cooked soup – shortly afterwards they were dead
The couple from Deutsch-Wagram in Lower Austria went home with the spoils from the forest and cooked what they thought was wild garlic soup. A little later they had to alert rescue workers. They were immediately taken to hospital with suspected food poisoning. But it was too late. The two were initially stable, but according to the Austrian media, their condition deteriorated very quickly and drastically. The two died in the following days.
Shortly after they were brought in, it turned out that the two of them had in no way collected wild garlic. Lily of the valley or autumn crocus had gone into her basket instead. Lily of the valley contains cardioglycosides, especially convallatoxin, which have a strong effect on the heart. Even small amounts of these substances can cause cardiac arrhythmias, nausea, vomiting and, in severe cases, even death.
Lily of the valley can be recognized by its cup-shaped flowers and does not smell like garlic.Zoonar/Imago
This is how wild garlic can be distinguished from lily of the valley and autumn crocus
The autumn crocus also contains colchicine, a substance that has a particularly toxic effect on cell division processes. Even small amounts can lead to severe gastrointestinal problems, multi-organ failure and even death.
Lily of the valley and autumn crocus are therefore both known for their toxicity. In 2014, lily of the valley was even named poisonous plant of the year. However, the risk of confusion with wild garlic is particularly high in spring, as the leaves of the plants look very similar.
But you can also distinguish the plants quite easily. An important distinguishing feature is the smell: wild garlic smells clearly of garlic, while lily of the valley and autumn crocus do not have this characteristic smell. To test it, you can rub the leaves in your hands. The smell should appear. However, collectors should not rely on smell alone, but should also pay attention to other unique identifying features of the plants to avoid poisoning.