News You Can Bruise for 2004 August 20 (entry 0)

(4) Fri Aug 20 2004 06:35 PST Poisoned!: Last weekend I noticed some plants in my garden which hadn't been growing before. I didn't know what it was, but it was growing where I'd planted stuff, so I assumed I must have planted it, so I broke off part of a leaf and tasted it. My tongue started tingling, and not in a good this-is-hot sort of way. Uh-oh.

It turns out it was a lily, and that lilies are made of poison. The previous tenants must have planted some lily bulbs that suddenly decided to grow even though the stuff I planted is not growing that well. Anyway, I washed my mouth out with a lot of milk and have so far not died.

The lesson is, don't put something in your mouth just because it grew in ground you now control.

Comments:

Posted by Susie at Fri Aug 20 2004 10:17

Oh no! How scary.

Posted by John Speno at Fri Aug 20 2004 12:21

What you did is just what early man would have done. Taste a small piece of something and spit it out if it tingles the tongue. Cool.

p.s. glad you're fine. :-)

Posted by Factitious at Fri Aug 20 2004 17:03

Finally, a reason to keep milk around.

Posted by Sumana at Sat Aug 21 2004 12:17

Allow me to mention that I'm partly to blame for the incident; I suggested tasting a little bit of the leaf as one of a range of options. Just so you know, Poison Control is 1-800-411-8080.