Woman’s face turns purple and swells up after eating wild vegetables and standing in sun
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 01 November, 2015, 4:17pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 01 November, 2015, 6:54pm
Mimi Lau in Guangzhou
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The woman recovers in hospital in Xiangyang city. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A woman living in the central Chinese province of Hubei was admitted to hospital after her face became bloated and purple following a chat with a neighbour on a sunny morning last Tuesday, a local news portal has reported.
About an hour after the conversation, the Xiangyang city resident began to lose feeling in her face and the numbness spread to her hands, according to Cnhubei.com.
Her left cheek became bloated, then her right one as well and her vision grew blurry. She was taken to hospital where she was diagnosed with vegetable solar dermatitis.
Potherb mustard is among the plants that can lead to the condition. Photo: SCMP Pictures
The condition occurs when a person comes into contact with certain photosensitising compounds. It can cause blisters and usually subsides after 48-72 hours. The woman had consumed boiled wild vegetables for four meals in a row.
Foods that could lead to the condition include milkvetch, wild parsnip, common hogweed and parsley.
The woman was given an IV drip and expected to be released soon.
