Italian family paralysed by poisonous herb mix up

An Italian family of four was left paralysed after the grandmother of the household accidentally garnished their pasta with a poisonous plant, Italian media reports said Tuesday. Carmela Messina, 66, found the poisonous herb Devil's Trumpet in some bushes near a market. Believing it to be a bitter green broccoli variant, she took it home and planted it in her herb collection. She sprinkled it on the family's evening spaghetti on Monday and fell ill soon afterwards along with her husband, daughter and young grandson. They were taken to hospital and put into a medically-induced coma after another family member found them collapsing and vomiting. "I can't forget the image of my mother and sister paralysed on the floor," Maurizio Finocchiaro, Messina's son, was quoted as saying. "I saw my family members falling ill one by one. After my nephew starting being sick, I realised that all of their symptoms were related to something that they had eaten," he added. Devil's Trumpet, which is officially known as Datura Metel, is highly toxic and can be fatal if ingested by humans or animals. The four are still in hospital but doctors said they were confident the paralysis would be temporary.