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The planet is home to a variety of flora with the potential to take your mind to a very special place. You’re likely familiar with one immensely popular plant that’s traditionally been used to induce some funny feelings in the people that consume it, but some unfortunate souls have recently fallen victim to an even more common (and decidedly more legal) leafy green that’s unexpectedly sparked a bit of a panic in Australia.
According to The Guardian, health officials in the Land Down Under recently issued a massive spinach recall following a strange development that’s affected over 100 people who say they’ve experienced strange hallucinations and other forms of “delirium” after eating spinach.
More than 50 of the victims have sought out medical help after consuming baby spinach authorities say was sourced from Riviera Farms, which supplies a number of major supermarket chains in the country. The producer is still attempting to definitively identify the root cause of the outbreak, but the company (and authorities in the state of Victoria) have suggested it could be linked to invasive weeds capable of inducing what is known as “anticholinergic syndrome.”
The New York Times says that the condition is linked to members of the Solanaceae family, which is home to a number of poisonous plants including nightshade, jimsonweed, and mandrake. Some of those can be deadly when consumed in large enough quantities, and while there have not been any reported fatalities stemming from the contaminated spinach, it appears those plants were harvested alongside the produce in large enough quantities to spark hallucinations that make it difficult for the brain to determine what is real and imagined.
Both outlets spoke with experts who stressed those hallucinations are not of the “Fun” variety commonly associated with certain types of mushrooms and other naturally occurring organisms; anticholinergic reactions are frequently accompanied by an increased heartbeat, fever, blurred visions, and other symptoms with the capacity to stoke even more panic in the mind of an individual who’s already grappling with the disassociative fallout.
It’s safe to say that sounds Not Fun.