Actaea rubra is toxic to horses. The reported severity is mild. Also known as Red Baneberry, White-Fruited Red Baneberry and Red-Fruited Red Baneberry.
If your animal ate this plant, call your veterinarian now, or one of these services.
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Ireland has no animal poison service for owners. Call your veterinarian. An Irish veterinarian can consult the Veterinary Poisons Information Service in the United Kingdom.
Giftinformationscentralen stopped answering questions about animals on 1 July 2018. Call your veterinarian or an animal hospital.
Drooling Colic Diarrhea Vomiting
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Actaea rubra, the red baneberry or chinaberry, is a poisonous herbaceous flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to North America.
All parts of the plant are poisonous. However, accidental poisoning is not likely since the berries are extremely bitter. The berries are the most toxic part of the plant. A healthy adult will experience poisoning from as few as six berries. Ingestion of the berries causes nausea, dizziness, increased pulse and severe gastrointestinal discomfort. The toxins can also have an immediate sedative effect on the cardiac muscle tissue possibly leading to cardiac arrest if introduced into the bloodstream. As few as two berries may be fatal to a child. The fruits and foliage contain ranunculin, and are often reported to contain protoanemonin. The plant also contains berberine. All parts of the plant contain an irritant oil that is most concentrated within the roots and berries. The roots contain β-sitosterol glucoside. There have been no reported cases of severe poisoning or deaths in North America, but children have been fatally poisoned by its European relative A. spicata. It is claimed that poisoning is unlikely from eating the fruits of this species also. This plant closely resembles mountain sweetroot (Osmorhiza chilensis), and can be confused with it; however, red baneberry lacks the strong anise-like "spicy celery" odor of mountain sweetroot. The following illustrates a non-fatal case of experimental self-intoxication produced by the ingestion of fruit from Actaea rubra.
Also recorded as Baneberry, Snakeberry, western baneberry and western red baneberry.
More from the Ranunculaceae family:
Countries with the most wild observations, from GBIF data.