Be careful when you eat chestnuts: here is what you risk

Autumn is the period of chestnuts, protagonists of many preparations of the Italian culinary tradition and beyond, both sweet and savory. If we decide to go and collect them, however, we must pay particular attention to the moment of choice. There are indeed so-called mat chestnuts, which are real toxic fruits and can easily be confused with common edible chestnuts. Let’s quickly see together what is important to know, in order to avoid any risk to our health.

To distinguish wild chestnuts from common chestnuts, you need to pay attention to small but important details. First we have to look at the envelope that contains the chestnut. In the case of matte chestnuts, the fruit is contained in a kind of “capsule” covered with various non-prickly prickles and usually contains a single chestnut. As for the edibles, on the other hand, they are much smaller and are contained in groups of two or three fruits inside the same hedgehog which is prickly and prickly.

The differences to point out are not only on the fruits, but are obvious, but also on the plants. Chestnut trees, also called horse chestnut trees, are much more common in residential areas and parks. Their leaves are in turn composed of several smaller leaves which are usually oval in shape. This gives the entire leaf a webbed appearance. The chestnut trees that produce the common, edible chestnuts, on the other hand, are more often found in woods and forests. Their leaves have a simpler, usually elongated shape.

People who mistakenly ingest dull chestnuts, taking them for good because they are poisonous chestnuts, risk serious ingestion. According to poison control center documents, some of the most common symptoms from ingesting them include burning in the oral cavity, nausea, vomiting, and even diarrhea. In the event that we have to consume large quantities of matte chestnuts, the symptoms obviously become more acute. Special attention should be paid to children, as they too can show very acute symptoms.

Such as neurological symptoms, which include motor incoordination, tremors, muscle spasms, central nervous system depression and dilated pupils. It should be noted that in addition to chestnuts, it is good to remember that the other parts of the horse chestnut plant are also poisonous, so even the flowers and leaves. If you suspect chestnut poisoning, even of a minor entity, with less severe symptoms, contact your trusted doctor or regional poison control center.