The Agave Americana. Image: INQUIRER.net stock photo
A Chinese video blogger accidentally poisoned herself during a live stream when she began eating a plant that she thought was aloe vera.
Zhang, 26 years old, had planned to stream a video of her eating aloe vera to highlight the health benefits of the plant when eaten raw. Unfortunately, the green plant that she began to chew on turned out to be Agave Americana (American aloe) which is poisonous, according to a Weibo report via Shanghaiist.
Zhang began to notice that something was wrong when she took a second bite from the plant. She exclaimed while on camera, “Oh that tastes bitter. Really bitter.”
The vlogger had to leave the live streaming to be rushed to the hospital. Doctors found that she had broken out into rashes and blisters. They were forced to pump her stomach to remove parts of the plant that she swallowed.
Agave Americana, also known as century plant, is a poisonous plant that can be found in Mexico and is generally not edible. The outside skin of the plant is fibrous enough to be used as ropes. The only way to consume Agave Americana is by fermenting the liquid from the plant to create an alcoholic drink called pulque.
According to the report, Zhang is already in a stable condition and recovering from the ordeal. Alfred Bayle/JB