TEXAS, USA — Here in Texas, we know there are plenty of dangerous animals and even plants hiding in plain sight.
Here's another one to add to the list of dangerous, but beautiful plants: poison hemlock.
A woman picked some of those flowers near Dallas and it almost killed her, she said.
This is how the woman in Lancaster described her experience.
"Shortly after pulling the weeds, my arms felt as if they were on fire. So I took a shower to wash out what I believed to be splinters. Less than an hour later, my tongue started swelling, my skin was burning, my speech was slurred, and I was dizzy, confused, and very shaky," the woman said in her Facebook post. "It started to feel as though my chest was tightening and I was struggling to breathe. I went to the ER where it was confirmed I had been poisoned by Poisonous Hemlock."
Poison hemlock looks like a harmless flower but it was actually used in ancient Greece for executions. The Texas A&M AgiLife Extension Service said the stem and leaves are the most poisonous.
Since it's so hard to spot, it's important that you know the symptoms. The list includes:
- Sweating
- Vomiting
- Dilated pupils
- Restlessness or confusion
- Muscle paralysis
- Seizures
If you think you've encountered poison hemlock and you start experiencing any of these symptoms, you should go to the emergency room immediately.