They thought they were eating a homemade soup with wild garlic picked in the forest: a couple dies by confusing two plants

Wild garlic in the woods. (drawing) MAXPPP – Jean-Luc Flémal

In Austria, a couple died after consuming a toxic plant, which they mistook for wild garlic.

From aromatic plant to toxic plant. It is currently the season for wild garlic, this plant which currently litters the forest floor and is highly coveted by pickers to flavor dishes. But be careful not to confuse it with autumn colchicum, which turns out to be highly toxic.

A fatal error

A couple from Deutsch-Wagram paid a high price for it in Austria. The two people added their picked wild garlic to a homemade soup , reports the Swiss media Blick. Just a few hours after the meal, the couple had to be hospitalized.

A few days later, the two spouses died suddenly following poisoning. If wild garlic is a popular plant for catering, you still need to know how to recognize it.

This is where the couple made a big mistake and confused it with autumn colchicum, which is a very similar but highly toxic plant but ;nbsp;also potentially fatal, specifies the Swiss media, citing Kleine Zeitung. This plant contains "a cellular toxin that can cause organ failure and circulatory shock within a few days".

It is therefore recommended to be extra vigilant when picking in the forests. It is important to know how to distinguish wild garlic from other similar and toxic plants. One of the best ways to recognize it is by smell! Because only wild garlic smells like wild garlic.