Coriaria sinica fruit poisoning

1. Coriaria sinica, also known as poisonous hollow wood, water coriaria, duck food wood, chicken plague firewood, etc., is a plant of the Moraceae family, growing on hillsides or in mountain gullies, and is commonly found in the southern provinces of China. The fruit of Coriaria sinica is pea-sized, round and fleshy, green when immature, and matures from May to June each year, initially bright red and then gradually turning purple-black. It tastes sweet with a slight astringency and is highly toxic. It is often picked and mistakenly eaten by children, causing poisoning and even death. 2. The main components in the fruit of Coriaria sinica include coriamyrtin, hydroxycoriamyrtin, and dihydrocoriamyrtin, etc. Its toxic mechanism is similar to that of picrotoxin but more potent. It stimulates the cerebral cortex, causing a series of toxic symptoms such as excitement, convulsions, and vomiting. Frequent tonic convulsions can lead to cerebral edema, respiratory failure, and other organs such as the lungs, liver, heart, and kidneys are also damaged.