At a pre-inquest hearing, facts were revealed about a 33 yr old gardener who died in hospital from multiple organ failure.
Despite rushing the collapsed man to hospital where staff took analysis of his blood, doctors couldn't work out what was wrong with him and he died five days later.
The coroner heard that it was only after his father carried out research to find out what happened, that a link with the deadly aconitum plant, also known as Devil's Helmet and Monkshood, became apparent.
The gardener had become ill after brushing against the flower which grew in the grounds of Millcourt House.
Apparently, poisoning from monkshood can occur if it is ingested or handled without gloves. In severe cases the poisoning causes vomiting, dizziness and diarrhoea followed by palpitations, paralysis of the heart and airways, and death.
Despite rushing the collapsed man to hospital where staff took analysis of his blood, doctors couldn't work out what was wrong with him and he died five days later.
The coroner heard that it was only after his father carried out research to find out what happened, that a link with the deadly aconitum plant, also known as Devil's Helmet and Monkshood, became apparent.
The gardener had become ill after brushing against the flower which grew in the grounds of Millcourt House.
Apparently, poisoning from monkshood can occur if it is ingested or handled without gloves. In severe cases the poisoning causes vomiting, dizziness and diarrhoea followed by palpitations, paralysis of the heart and airways, and death.
Aconitum is also known as monkshood and devil's helmet due to its resemblance to a cowled hood, and is known by some as wolfsbane, because its poison is so toxic that it was once used to kill wolves.
The purple flowering plant has been responsible for several human deaths, including that of Canadian actor Andre Noble, who died on a camping trip in 2004 after accidentally consuming the plant.
In 2009 Brit Lakhvir Singh, dubbed the 'Curry Killer', poisoned her lover with a dish laced with same plant family.
This got me thinking. Why does nature produce poisonous plants? A red spotted mushroom grows under the giant horse chestnut trees opposite our home. Of course, the red is usually a signal for poison. But I wouldn't have suspected the monkshood beautiful purple, or sometimes white, flower of harbouring such a danger.
So be careful what you grow.
The purple flowering plant has been responsible for several human deaths, including that of Canadian actor Andre Noble, who died on a camping trip in 2004 after accidentally consuming the plant.
In 2009 Brit Lakhvir Singh, dubbed the 'Curry Killer', poisoned her lover with a dish laced with same plant family.
This got me thinking. Why does nature produce poisonous plants? A red spotted mushroom grows under the giant horse chestnut trees opposite our home. Of course, the red is usually a signal for poison. But I wouldn't have suspected the monkshood beautiful purple, or sometimes white, flower of harbouring such a danger.
So be careful what you grow.
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