Poisonous, store-bought lupine seeds send four-year-old to hospital

Lupine seeds are sold in shops and are usually been properly processed, but some are not, and many people pick the blue-flowered plants that they find outdoors and are careless about handling them.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Little Uri Mazuz with nurse Iris Lisha. (photo credit: KAPLAN MEDICAL CENTER)
Little Uri Mazuz with nurse Iris Lisha.
(photo credit: KAPLAN MEDICAL CENTER)
A four-and-a-half-year-old boy who on Wednesday ate lupine seeds bought by his parents suffered severe poisoning and was taken to Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot.
The seeds of the lupine plant, which flowers between February and May, are sold in shops after they are usually processed. Some are not, however, and many people also pick the blue-flowered plants they find outdoors and are careless about handling them.
Kaplan doctors said that one should not let children lick lupine plants in nature or eat the seeds, even if they have been boiled, as parts of the plant are poisonous.
Little Uri Mazuz, who lives in Gedera, was taken to the emergency room suffering from constant vomiting and severe stomach pains, after eating lupine seeds a few hours before.
He was immediately attached to a cardiac monitor and given infusions. His condition improved and he will remain in the pediatrics department for observation until he is discharged.
His parents, Eli and Moran Mazuz, could not believe that the first time he ate lupine seeds he would have to be rushed to the hospital. They said they purchased the seeds in a spice shop and boiled them before giving them to Uri. He enjoyed the taste and asked for more.
“We never thought that lupine seeds were so dangerous,” said Uri’s father. “We recommend that parents not give their children lupine in any form, even if they have been boiled.”
The law requires the removal of lupine and oleander plants near kindergartens and day care centers, since their attractive pink or white flowers are very poisonous.
Lupine poisoning is not common, but when it occurs, it causes an irregular heart beat and can even be life threatening.