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Mum warns against deadly 'poison hemlock' plant after daughter's horrible reaction

By Kate Rafferty|

A worried mother has issued an urgent warning to parents after her six-year-old daughter suffered a horrible reaction to a wild plant growing around her home.

Mum Chavana Neuweg took to Facebook to share shocking photos of her daughter, covered in an itchy red rash on her face and leg.

Neuweg revealed that the rash had developed after her daughter smelt a "Poison Hemlock" plant, which is a highly toxic plant that grows near riverbeds and roadsides.

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Mum warns against deadly 'poison hemlock' plant after daughter's horrible reaction.
Neuweg shared a photo of the horrible red rash that had spread on her daughter's face. (Facebook / Tiny Hearts Education)
Mum warns against deadly 'poison hemlock' plant after daughter's horrible reaction.
The youngster's face was so swollen, she could barely open her left eye. (Facebook / Tiny Hearts Education)

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"Yesterday, my six-year-old daughter started to get a rash on her face. She has always had bad allergies to bugs/bees/plants, but this was spreading quickly," the mum wrote. "This was not our first run-in with a bad "rash" with her so we did what we knew on how to treat it."

Despite their usual routine of treatments, Neuweg said the rash continued to spread, and cause swelling to her daughter's face.

"By this morning, my daughter's eye, ear, and entire face were so swollen and covered in this blistery rash. She was having trouble breathing, acting lethargic, and just completely miserable. We took her to the doctor and they gave her Prednisone for poison."

The mum says she and her husband couldn't think of how her daughter had come into contact with poison, but since the rash continued to remain incredibly red and painful, they decided to investigate around their home.

"Our property (and all of our neighbors properties) are lined with hundreds of very dangerous plants called POISON HEMLOCK," the mum revealed.

Mum warns against deadly 'poison hemlock' plant after daughter's horrible reaction.
The mum shared photos of the poisonous plant for parents to be wary of. (Facebook / Tiny Hearts Education)
Mum warns against deadly 'poison hemlock' plant after daughter's horrible reaction.
The plant can also grow and appear without flowers, and looks quite like a weed. (Facebook / Tiny Hearts Education)

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"After a quick search (which turned into hours of research) we quickly found out what we were dealing with, which is worse than we ever expected. Our daughter smelled the top of this "flower", ingesting it and causing one of the worst poison reactions I have ever seen. She is still in rough shape as I type this."

The plant is found all across Australia, except in the Northern Territory.

"It looks like a harmless weed but can grow over 10 feet tall. You will find it often along creeks, railroads, and ditches," the mum wrote.

"The plant is unlike many others because it affects the nervous system and can cause nerve and muscle paralysis, vomiting, nausea, coma, muscle pain, seizures, convulsions, loss of speech, rapid heart rate, and much more."

Mum warns against deadly 'poison hemlock' plant after daughter's horrible reaction.
Neuweg shared a photo of her daughter's leg, which had also been affected by the rash. (Facebook / Tiny Hearts Education)

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She continued: "This plant is so bad that you have to turn it into the state when or if you find it and they have to dispose of it because it's actually illegal to do it yourself. Also, never burn it!!! It could cause the poison to become airborne.

According to the Department of Primary Industries NSW, the hemlock plant, or 'poison hemlock' must be taken care of according to the General Biosecurity Duty.

This duty only applies to those in the biosecurity industry, with the responsibility and knowledge of how to dispose of and elminate the poisonous plant properly.

If you think you have seen poison hemlock, it's best to call your local weeds council officer. If you suspect you may have come into contact with the plant, call your GP if your symptoms are mild, or go straight to your local hospital with a cutting of the plant in a bag so it can be identified.

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