Alicia Silverstone sparks controversy after eating ‘poisonous’ fruit from the street

Actress Alicia Silverstone has left fans confused after she was spotted eating a “poisonous” fruit from the street.

The 47-year-old actress shared a video on TikTok on August 19 about her recent experience while walking down a street in England. She told her viewers, “Okay, I discovered something and I can’t figure out what it is and I need your help.”

She then held up what appeared to be an orange, which had seeds inside. Silverstone also admitted to tasting the fruit herself.

“I bit it because it was in the street and we were arguing about whether it was a tomato or not,” she continued, before filming the walled garden from which she got the fruit.

Silverstone also wondered what kind of leaves the plant had, from which green, red and orange fruits hung.

“So what the hell is this?” No idea The star added, before the fruit appeared open in the street, with the seeds sticking out.

She then took another bite and showed the camera what was inside. “I don’t think you’re supposed to eat this,” she admitted. “But it’s almost like a pepper. Does anyone know what this is? I don’t know what it is.”

The actress confirmed her confusion in her comment, writing: “What the hell is this?! I’m in England and I can’t figure it out.”

The video quickly went viral on TikTok, racking up more than 1.3 million views. In the comments, several people claimed that the fruit she was eating was Jerusalem cherries, which are poisonous. Fans asked for an update on her condition after eating the apparent cherries.

“Oh my god no!! Jerusalem cherries are very poisonous and are from the nightshade family. I hope you are well,” one person wrote.

“Woman! Tell us. Are you alive and well?!” another wrote, while a third commented: “Is Alicia okay?? We need an update!”

Other viewers were not content to wonder. Crushing Star because she took the fruit from what appeared to be a private garden, but also because she ate something she didn’t know what it was.

“Even if they are tomatoes, they are in someone’s private front garden, and you can’t come through their gate and pick their plants,” one user wrote.

Another commented: “Who picks something they don’t know what it is and eats it?”

Third response: “Why would anyone eat random, unknown things off the street?!”

The Independent I have contacted Silverstone representatives for comment.

According to the National Institutes of Health Medline Plus“Jerusalem cherry is a plant in the same family as black nightshade.” The toxic substance in the plant—which “has small, round, red-orange fruits”—is solanocapsin. The results of this type of poisoning, which can be serious, “mostly affect the gastrointestinal tract (often delayed for eight to ten hours) and the central nervous system.”

The medical website notes that poisoning symptoms “often improve within one to three days, but hospitalization may be necessary,” depending on the treatment the person receives. Death from eating poisonous cherries is rare.