Cursed? British Woman Says Toxic Bracelet Sold on eBay Ruined Her Life
A 40-year-old British woman claimed a toxic bracelet she bought on eBay has ruined her life for two years, Daily Mail reports.
Jo Wollacott of Bridport, Dorset said she lost her job and her boyfriend over the effects of a toxic bracelet called the Jequirity bean.
Ms Wollacott suffered abscesses, hives and hallucinations and it came to a point when she was even sectioned under the Mental Health Act after getting into hallucinogenic-like state.
On top of her losses, she quit her mosaic design business and got into debt, prompting her to sell her Ford Fiesta as well as her family home in Lyme Regis. She later moved to a smaller home in Bridport.
In December 2010, Ms Wollacott was sectioned in the Forston Clinic in Dorchester. She was released nine days later, but was briefly sectioned again in October.
"I was in hospital for a few days with hallucinations - I did not know what was going on," she told Daily Mail.
"Doctors could not work out what was wrong with me - they did not know what medication to put me on. They thought I had been on drugs, but all my tests were negative."
"Thinking about it now, the effect of the beans on the bracelet probably would have been the same as being on drugs," she said.
She said she stopped wearing the beaded bracelet in November and since then, her life has improved. The hallucinations were gone, she stopped feeling sick, and even managed to buy a new car and begin a new career in making toys.
The Jequirity bean, also known as the abrus precatorius, came from Peru. The toxin it carries with it can cause serious health problems, or even lead to death.
In December 2011, a group that sold the Jequirity bean bracelets recalled all of its items after selling them in its gift shop for a year.
"Seeds from abrus precatorius contain the poison abrin which is very toxic," said a spokesman from the Health Protection Agency.
"Ingestion of any quantity of chewed, crushed or drilled seeds should be regarded seriously because, if fully absorbed, even small amounts of abrin can be fatal."
Anyone who suspects they may have ingested seeds from abrus precatorius should seek medical advice immediately, Daily Mail noted.
Ms Wollacott did not learn of the toxin in her bracelet until her son Dagan bought a letter home from school in December warning of the dangers of the Jequirity bean.
She said the letter had a picture of her bracelet on, and it was then that she began to piece things together.
"I feel like I have lost two years of my life to this bracelet," she said.
Ms Wollacott has placed her toxic bracelet in a sealed box in her home.