For many people, soup is an essential part of a meal and some families even prepare soup every day. Many different ingredients could be used to prepare soup and Radix Fici Simplicissimae is one of the popular ingredients in recent years.

Radix Fici Simplicissimae is the root of a plant belongs to the Moraceae family. Although Radix Fici Simplicissimae is not toxic, it grows in the wild in areas where some toxic plants are prevalent, such as Gelsemium elegans (a toxic plant belongs to the Loganiaceae family). The appearance of these plant species is similar and may be mixed up during harvesting. In Hong Kong, there were poisoning cases involving consumption of Radix Fici Simplicissimae suspected to be contaminated with toxic plants.

Advice to the Public

• Avoid picking wild plants for food.
• Source food from reliable retailers.
• Do not consume plants that are not known to be edible. If in doubt, better not to consume them.
• Members of the public should seek advice from healthcare professionals immediately if they feel unwell after consuming the plants.