Oenantha Crocata: A Case Report of Multiple Poisoning with Fatal Outcome

Background: Plant poisonings are uncommon in adults, and rarely fatal. Oenantha crocata is a toxic plant growing in the humid grasslands of North America and Western Europe.

Case report: We report here two adults who ingested Oenantha crocata roots, having mistaken them for edible tuberous radish. One developed vomiting and needed only 24 h symptomatic treatment, whereas the other suffered prolonged convulsions, cardiac arrest, and severe metabolic acidosis, leading to a fatal outcome. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Cases of poisoning with Oenantha crocata are rare and destabilizing. With increased interest in "natural" foods and team building by survival training, medical teams should be aware of the management for such poisoning.

Keywords: Ooenantha crocata; hemlock water dropwort; plant poisoning.