The couple lost more than 10kg and became paralyzed after eating herbal fruit to treat diabetes

TS.BS Nguyen Trung Nguyen – Director of the Anti-Poison Center – Bach Mai Hospital, said that the new center received and treated 2 patients with poison ivy, leading to muscle atrophy and paralysis of the whole body. It is worth warning that this plant is recommended as a medicine to cure diseases, but it is actually a poisonous plant, which has directly caused death in humans and animals.

Specifically, two hospitalized patients, Mrs. PTX (SN 1966) and her husband, TCN (SN 1958) living in Kien Giang were transferred to Bach Mai Hospital in a state of muscle atrophy, limited movement of both hands, difficulty speaking. and paralyzed legs.

Ms. X said that from September to November 2021, she and her husband were given peas by an acquaintance to plant and eat. According to word of mouth, Mrs. X knew that mung bean seeds could cure diabetes. The blood sugar of Mrs. X and her husband is slightly above the normal range, but not to the threshold of diabetes. However, she and her husband still eat cassava seeds with the desire to prevent disease.

Initially, each day she and her husband only ate about 2 seeds, then they ate more and ate every day. After eating for about 3 months, Mrs. X saw that she was tired, weak, weak in limbs, and lost 15kg in weight, so she went to a hospital in Kien Giang. Ms. X’s husband later had the same problem and also lost 10kg in the same time period.

The patient was transferred from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi for treatment after being paralyzed in the whole body.

At the hospital, the doctor diagnosed her with calcium deficiency, so she prescribed calcium supplements for her. After taking all the prescriptions, but the symptoms did not improve, even worse, Ms. X and her husband went to a large hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for treatment. Here, the doctor diagnosed her and her husband with polyneuritis, and had to have acupuncture and acupressure.

At the end of the course of treatment, the condition did not improve, but got worse, not only weak in limbs, but also paralyzed in both legs and had to move in a wheelchair. Doctors at the hospital sent her and her husband’s blood samples to Singapore for testing, and the results showed that her husband was suspected of having heavy metal poisoning. She and her husband were referred to the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital for treatment.

When moving to the center, Mrs. X and her husband were in a state of muscle atrophy, limited movement of both arms, difficulty speaking, and paralysis of both legs. After more than a month of intensive treatment with 8 times of dialysis and plasma exchange, the health of Mrs. X and her husband has gradually improved. Mr. N was able to hold a bowl of rice, stand up on his own and walk around the bed. Mrs. X made it clear, swallowing normally, lifting a bowl of rice on her own and standing up on her own two feet.

The plant has a toxin that causes muscle necrosis, paralysis, and even death.

The plant is also known as the star fruit tree, the scientific name is Senna occidentalis (also known as Cassia occidentalis). The toxin in this plant is anthraquinone, a toxin found in the whole plant but concentrated in the seeds, which has been recorded to cause muscle and nerve toxicity, especially muscle necrosis, muscle degeneration, liver damage, brain and death in humans and animals.

This is the first case of Vietnam being found to have poison ivy. From the above case, Dr. Nguyen recommends that people should not listen to word of mouth to treat diseases, but should visit a doctor or licensed physician for examination and treatment.