Fans Alarmed By Alicia Silverstone Eating Toxic Fruit On TikTok
Actress Alicia Silverstone found herself clueless about the identity of an unfamiliar plant while visiting England recently. She took the question to TikTok — where fans and followers promptly chastised Silverstone for chomping down on the plant in question.
In her TikTok post, still up as of this writing, Silverstone says, "Okay, I've discovered something that I can't figure out what it is, and I need your help." She then reveals that the something in question is a small, orange fruit with seeds inside. Silverstone took a bite out of the mystery fruit before asking for identification help from her fans. Putting on a British accent, she jokes that she knows it's not a "toe-mah-toe" because of the plant's unique leaves.
@aliciasilverstone What the heck is this!? I'm in England and can't figure it out. 🤔
Users quickly identified the fruit as a Jerusalem cherry. While it's small, red, and looks delectable, it is not a true cherry. Rather, this plant is part of the black nightshade family — and can be poisonous if ingested. Luckily, Silverstone only took one bite, because she could have wreaked havoc on her digestive system, and even her nervous system, if she consumed more.
Resources to check if a plant is edible
Alicia Silverstone became a vegan in 1998, and is a vocal advocate for a plant-based diet. It's understandable that a longtime home gardener like her would be curious about an unfamiliar plant. But taking a bite out of said plant is the last thing you should do, since some plants can be toxic to humans.
While many widely used fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes and potatoes, are members of the nightshade family and totally edible, black nightshades are poisonous. Black nightshades beyond the Jerusalem cherry include belladonna and tobacco.
So, what should you do if you encounter a weird plant and want to eat it? There is a wealth of online resources for plant identification. iNaturalist is an official forum to which the curious can submit photos as well as explore others' submissions for similar pics. Pl@ntNet provides similar photo identification resources in an app-based format. However, even Google's image search function will pull up usable responses. Ultimately, though, the best option is to learn from an experienced forager rather than testing your luck with online resources.