Two Workers Hospitalized in Haifa After Eating Toxic Wild Plant Soup

Two foreign workers in their 40s from Thailand were admitted to the intensive care unit at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa over the weekend after suffering severe poisoning from consuming soup made with the wild plant Nicotiana glauca, commonly known as tree tobacco. The plant grows widely in open areas, construction sites, and near residential communities in Israel, including the Haifa coastal region where the men lived. One patient developed respiratory distress and remains in critical condition, sedated and on a ventilator, while the other showed improvement and was transferred to an internal medicine ward for further care.

Medical staff at Rambam credited the patients bringing the plant sample with them for enabling a rapid diagnosis and appropriate treatment. The hospital's National Poison Information Center explained that Nicotiana glauca contains anabasine, a toxic compound similar to nicotine, which can cause symptoms ranging from nausea and vomiting to seizures, loss of consciousness, and respiratory failure. There is no specific antidote, so treatment focuses on supporting vital functions until the toxin is cleared from the body.

Rambam officials warned the public against harvesting or consuming wild plants without expert identification, emphasizing that accidental contact does not cause poisoning but ingestion can be life-threatening. They urged anyone suspecting poisoning to bring the plant to the hospital to aid diagnosis. Previous poisoning cases from this plant have been reported in Israel, highlighting the ongoing risk.