Milk sickness is a poisoning that affects those who consumed dairy products from a cow that ate which plant?

Milk sickness, which is also known as tremetol vomiting, or in animals, is called trembles. Tremetol, a poison that is found in white snakeroot. Cattle who consume the plant will have the poison accumulate in their tissues and milk. Cattle, horses and sheep have been the most often poisoned. Early signs of poisoning in animals, such as cattle and sheep include listlessness, weight loss and trembling in the legs and muzzle. Signs of poisoning occur several hours after eating the plant. Death can occur two to ten days after symptoms show.

Settlers in the midwestern United States in the early 19th century, primarily in frontier areas along the Ohio River Valley and its tributaries, where white snakeroot was prevalent were affected by milk sickness. One possible victim of milk sickness was the mother of Abraham Lincoln, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, who died when Abraham Lincoln was nine years old.

Human milk sickness is not common today, control of pastures and cattle feed and pooling of milk from many producers generally lowers the risk of tremetol concentration in milk or dairy products. There is no cure for the condition, but treatment is available.

Anna Pierce Hobbs Bixby (c. 1810 – c. 1870), a midwife and frontier doctor is credited with identifying white snakeroot as the cause of the illness.