Top Hollywood star horrifies fans as she unknowingly eats very POISONOUS berry on trip to London
ALICIA Silverstone shocked fans after taking a huge bite out of a poisonous fruit whilst out in London.
The Clueless star quizzed her followers after struggling to identify the berry she’d picked from someone’s garden.
Holding the small orange fruit, Alicia showed the camera and said: “I don’t think I should eat this”, after taking her second bite.
Sharing a video on TikTok she told fans: “I’ve discovered something and I can’t figure out what it is and I need your help.
“I just bit into it because it was on the street and we were discussing whether this is a tomato or not.”
She then showed the plant where she’d plucked the fruit from and said: “It’s definitely not because look at the leaves, those are the leaves so what the heck is this?
Taking another bite from another berry she said: “I don’t think you’re supposed to eat this, it’s almost like a pepper
It wasn’t long before the actress was inundated with messages from concerned followers who managed to identify the mystery fruit.
They told the star it was a Jerusalem cherry, which is also known as a Christmas Cherry or Madeira Winter Cherry.
The fruit is poisonous and comes from the nightshade family – which also includes potatoes, tomatoes and peppers.
“Jerusalem Cherry… they are poisonous,” one wrote.
“OMG no!! Jersualem Cherry are very poisonous in the Nightshade family. Hope you are ok,” echoed another.
A third wrote: “Jerusalem Cherry – toxic”.
“Imagine looking into your front yard and seeing Alicia Silverstone munching your garden,” one wrote
Others were baffled that she would eat something when she had no idea what it was.
“You bit into something you don’t know what it is? On the street!!?” questioned one.
“You bit into something you don’t know what it is? On the street!!?” said another.
Many also asked for her to update them on her health, with one fan demanding: “WOMAN! UPDATE US. ARE YOU ALIVE AND WELL!?!”
What is a Jerusalem Cherry?
The plant is a small, upright, bushy, evergreen shrub to 30cm and usually fruits in the winter.
The leaves are narrow, dark green and glossy, with wavy-edges.
In summer, it produces small clusters of white, star-shaped flowers, followed by long-lasting, spherical, red, yellow or orange fruit 1.5 to 2cm across – which is what Alicia ate.
The website also warned gardeners to wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling and said that the fruit was poisonous for dogs too.
According to the Royal Horticultural Society, the fruits are “harmful if eaten”.
The RHS also recommends wearing “gloves and other protective equipment when handling.”
According to DoveMed, signs of Jerusalem Cherry poisoning are: fever, headache, decrease in pulse rate and breathing rate, vomiting, diarrhea, shock and in extreme cases paralysis.
The 46-year-old actress became a style icon in 1995 thanks to her role as Cher Horowitz in Clueless.
She donned a series of incredible 90s outfits for the cult classic.
ALICIA’S CONTROVERSIAL FAMILY LIFE
Alicia welcomed her son Bear, 12, who she shares with her ex-husband Christopher Jarecki.
The couple split in 2018 after nearly 13 years of marriage.
Alicia also made headlines for her unusual parenting, including how she revealed that she “bird-fed” her son.
She explained how she chewed his food for him, before spitting it out for him to eat.
In an interview with The New York Times she said that she shared baths with her son when he was 10 years old.
“My son and I take baths together. And when he’s not with me, I take a bath and that feels really nourishing and comforting,” she said.
She has raised her son on a strict vegan diet, and insisted that it was his preferred choice.
Following her film success, she has recently become known for her lifestyle blog and life updates.
A year after giving birth to Bear, Alicia launched the Kind Mama Milk Share initiative so vegan mums could share breast milk with mothers struggling to nurse their child.
She revealed on her blog that she got the idea after a vegan friend had a hard time producing milk after breast reduction surgery.