Source: Hamilton Spectator (Canada) Contact: http://www.southam.com/hamiltonspectator Pubdate: Fri 28 Aug 1998 Author: Kate Barlow FOUR BOYS HOSPITALIZED AFTER EATING JIMSON WEED Four young boys are in hospital after being poisioned because they ate the seeds of a deadly weed that grows wild in parks and yards. It's the second time in a week that children have landed in a hospital emergency ward suffering hallucinations and psychotic episodes after eating the bittersweet seeds of the toxic jimson weed, a plant commonly called stinkweed. The boys are at McMaster University Medical Centre hooked up to heart monitors and drinking an activated charcoal mixture to purge poison from their bodies. They will be kept in hospital until today to insure there are no long-term effects. Nine-year-old Kelvin Dalton collapsed Wednesday afternoon and then started hallucinating, seeing snakes and spiders. He couldn't talk and lost his balance. ``He didn't even recognize me,'' recalls dad Mervin, who had no idea what was causing the strange behaviour of Kelvin and his seven-year-old brother Raymond. It wasn't until their friend Bradley Scott, 9, told his mother, Corinne Tudgian, what they had been eating that the frightening mystery was solved. ``I wondered if someone had fed drugs to him or poked him with something,'' said Tudgian. Her son didn't suffer hallucinations but became very drowsy and had to be kept awake. Bradley says the four had been using the pods as pucks in a game of street hockey. They picked the pods from a neighbour's front yard on Gibson Avenue in central Hamilton. When another child told them the seeds tasted like honey, they decided to eat them. Tudgian said the families want to warn others about the dangers of the plant. A health department spokeswoman said information about the plant and its dangers are being circulated to area hospitals, school boards and family doctors. If necessary, a public education program will be launched to ensure everyone is aware of the danger. Late last week, five local youths were treated at St. Joseph's Hospital after eating seeds from the weed. They suffered severe seizures and had to be restrained to prevent self-inflicted wounds. Tudgian said nurses at McMaster told parents about Internet reports of several cases of death resulting from eating parts of the plant. ``We just want parents to be aware of what the plant looks like and the symptoms and effects so they can get their children to the hospital before it's too late.'' Jimson weed is native to South America and was introduced to North America in the last century as an ornamental plant. The plant reseeds itself. This is not the first summer people have suffered a toxic high from the plant. In 1995, there were three cases of people being hospitalized after eating jimson seeds. In 1994, 10 teens were hospitalized. Symptoms of jimson weed poisoning can include dry mouth, dilated pupils, rapid heart beat, thirst, difficulty swallowing and speaking, blurred vision, hallucinations often featuring insects, seizures and coma. DEADLY JIMSON WEED Jimson weed (datura stramonium), also called stinkweed, is related to nightshade. All parts of the plant are poisonous. Jimson weed contains hyoscyamine, a sedative and hypnotic toxin, as well as dangerous levels of nitrates. A very small amount, four to five grams, is fatal to a child if ingested. Datura is sometimes grown as an ornamental because of its large, showy, trumpet-shaped flowers. Symptoms of jimson weed poisoning, which occur within 60 minutes after ingestion, include dry mouth, dilated pupils, rapid heart beat, thirst, difficulty swallowing and speaking, blurred vision, hallucinations, seizures and coma. Emergency first aid: if someone has eaten any part of the plant, take them to the nearest hospital emergency department. Take along a specimen of the plant. - --- Checked-by: Pat Dolan