Hospitalized after 30 minutes of eating caterpillar to "enhance physiology"

Hearing that eating Ban Mieu worms helps to increase sexual function, a 42-year-old man from Yen Bai bought this dish. 30 minutes later, he felt nauseous, had a stomachache, numbness in the tip of his tongue and face, weak muscles in all four limbs, and blood in his urine.

His family took him to the local hospital, then transferred him to the 108 Military Central Hospital in a state of severe fatigue, muscle weakness in all four limbs, rhabdomyolysis, and acute kidney failure.

After 2 weeks of intensive medical resuscitation, fluid infusion, non-specific detoxification, and close monitoring of organ function, the 42-year-old man's condition has stabilized, with symptoms of muscle weakness in all four limbs improving, kidney function returning to normal, and he has been discharged from the hospital.

Doctor Pham Dang Hai, Head of the Department of Internal Medicine Resuscitation and Anti-Poison, 108 Central Military Hospital, said that the Ban Mao worm (also known as Ban Mao, Ban Manh) contains the poison Cantharidin. Many people believe in the unscientific rumor that eating Ban Mao worms helps increase sexual function, in fact, some men have eaten this insect, leading to poisoning.

Cantharidin poisoning initially manifests as blistering of the skin upon contact, followed by damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa, multiple organ damage, and even death.

Doctors recommend that people absolutely do not eat strange insects. When buying vegetables and fruits, they need to check carefully to avoid mixing in caterpillars.

People should be careful when using oriental medicine because some folk remedies of unknown origin often contain ingredients from Ban Mao caterpillars. If you suspect Ban Mao caterpillar poisoning, you should quickly go to the nearest medical facility for timely treatment.