1 week ago
Why Datura Is Dangerous as Karnataka Suspends Three Platforms’ Licences
Datura is a plant that can be poisonous if people eat it.
Its seeds, fruits and leaves contain powerful chemicals that can affect the brain, heart, eyes and nerves.
These chemicals can be useful in carefully controlled medical treatments, but the plant is not safe to sell as food.
Karnataka officials suspended the food licences of three online shopping platforms after datura was reportedly offered with or listed among food items.
The platforms were told to remove all such listings and advertisements.
Eating datura can first cause dry mouth, blurry vision, wide pupils and a fast heartbeat.
More serious poisoning can cause confusion, strange behavior, hallucinations, seizures or unconsciousness.
Anyone who may have eaten it should seek urgent medical help.
Karnataka suspended the food licences and registrations of Bigbasket, Amazon and Swiggy Instamart.
The action followed reports that datura fruits and seeds were listed or distributed online as food.
Officials ordered the platforms to remove every datura-related food listing and advertisement immediately.
Datura contains toxic compounds including atropine, scopolamine and hyoscyamine, which affect the nervous system.
Consumption can cause anticholinergic poisoning, confusion, hallucinations, seizures, abnormal heart rhythms and breathing problems.
- Who
- The Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration acted against Bigbasket, Amazon and Swiggy Instamart after reports involving datura; medical experts explained the plant’s risks.
- What
- Karnataka suspended the platforms’ food licences and registrations and ordered them to remove datura listings and advertisements.
- Where
- Karnataka, with the reported incident involving an order from Swiggy Instamart in Bangalore.
- When
- The action was reported after a Bangalore-based Instagram user highlighted the issue; datura was trending on Google during the article’s publication period.
- Why
- Datura fruits, seeds and other parts contain toxic tropane alkaloids and must not be sold or distributed as food.
Key facts
- Regulator
- Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration (KFSDA)
- Platforms affected
- Bigbasket, Amazon and Swiggy Instamart
- Plant involved
- Datura, also spelled dhatura
- Toxic compounds
- Atropine, scopolamine and hyoscyamine
- Required action
- Remove all datura listings and advertisements and stop selling or distributing it as food
- Possible poisoning
- Dry mouth, blurred vision, rapid heartbeat, confusion, hallucinations, seizures and breathing problems
- Legal basis
- Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and related rules and regulations
Quotes
Kanikka Malhotra
Consultant dietician and certified diabetes educator quoted explaining datura’s medical uses and risks.
“In controlled clinical settings, they are used to dilate the pupils before eye surgery or to manage specific nerve disorders. Outside that controlled setting, without regulated dosing, the same compounds become genuinely dangerous.”
indianexpress.com
“Don’t blend it with edible fruits, vegetables, or any other ingredients, where accidental ingestion could happen”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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