Officials issue baneberry poisoning warning

Though most berries found in the Mat-Su Valley are safe, there is one berry that is highly poisonous, and emergency services wishes to send out a reminder for parents and new residents.

The baneberry, Actaea rubra, is common in our woodlands and one of the most attractive berries. Unfortunately it is highly poisonous, with as few as six berries having been reported as causing illness in adults. Although no deaths are known to have occurred in the U.S. from eating baneberries, a European species has been known to kill children.

The berries grow in clusters and ripen from green to bright red. A related species has white berries with black dots that have gained the nickname "doll's eyes." Berry pickers should be aware of the dangerous nature of these pretty shrubs, and families with small children may want to remove the plant from the vicinity of their homes, said Mat-Su EMS training coordinator, Bill Mackreth.

Symptoms from eating the berry include acute stomach cramps, dizziness, vomiting, increased pulse, delirium, circulatory failure and headache.

People should be aware that all parts of the baneberry plant are deadly poisonous, Mackreth said.