Three Remain Hospitalized After 'False Kale' Poisoning in Minas Gerais as Woman Suffers Brain Injury

Overview

• A municipal health bulletin reports a 64-year-old man extubated and stable, a 60-year-old man in an induced coma on ventilatory support, and a 37-year-old woman in very grave condition with a brain lesion.
• A 67-year-old man was discharged on October 9 after first responders reversed cardiorespiratory arrests and transported the victims to the Santa Casa and the UPA in Patrocínio.
• The family had recently moved to the rural property and mistakenly cooked Nicotiana glauca harvested on-site, believing it was edible kale.
• Plant fragments, including material found in the hospitalized woman's dental arch, were sent to the state reference lab Funed, and police opened an inquiry focused on accidental poisoning.
• Specialists describe Nicotiana glauca as highly toxic due to the alkaloid anabasine, note that preparation can influence severity, and stress that there is no home antidote and urgent care is critical.