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Show Some chestnuts unsafe CEDAR CITY -"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" is a familiar phrase heard during the fall and winter months in Utah; however, the Intermountain In-termountain Poison Control Center has reminded the public that most Utah chestnuts are not safe to eat. Trees bearing "horse chestnuts," also called buckeyes commonly are cultivated in Utah for ornamental purposes. These horse chestnut trees are large trees or shrubs with fan-like leaves and pink or white teardrop-type flowers which appear in the spring and summer months. In the fall, the flowers are replaced by green spiked hulls containing con-taining a round brown seed with a flat beige side. These seeds are called horse chestnuts or buckeyes, and 'hov contain a poison Esculin or Aseculir, When horse ches are eaten, the ioaiu produces mild to severe vomiting and diarrhea, irritation in the mouth, respiratory depression, agitation or coma and hemolysis or the breaking up of red blood cells. Eating horse chestnuts such as most of those grown in Utah has produced death, according ac-cording to medical literature. No amount of cooking, broiling or baking can convert these horse chestnuts into edible food. The edible chestnut trees are of the Costanea variety, large trees with white flowers. The leaves have jagged edges and the hull is prickly or burr-like in appearance with a brown nut inside. These trees differ from horse chestnut trees by not having a fan-like appearance to the leaves, and the edible seed is smaller, glossier and does not have the flat beige scar seen on the buckeye or horse chestnut. To prevent poisonings, the Intermountain Poison Control Center urged parents to warn their children of the danger of .eating horse chestnuts. If home owners are unsure about the kind of chestnut trees in their yards, a sample taken to a local nursery usually can be identified. In case of an accidental ingestion of horse chestnuts, call the Intermountain In-termountain Poison Control Center at 1-800-062-0062. |