PRAYAGRAJ, Dec. 10 -- A family of eight was hospitalised on Monday night after consuming fried rice unknowingly prepared with oil contaminated with datura (Indian Thornapple), a poisonous fruit. The incident occurred as the family was getting ready to leave for Mumbai after attending a wedding ceremony. According to reports, 58-year-old Suresh Kumar Pandey, a resident of Bhadauna village under Kandhai police station limits, lives in Mumbai with his family. They had returned to the village in Pratapgarh on November 29 to attend a wedding. On Monday night, the family had confirmed tickets on the Udyog Nagri Express for their journey back to Mumbai. Before heading to the station, the family ate fried rice prepared at home. Soon after, all eight of them began to feel sick. A vehicle had arrived to take them to the railway station, but when the driver noticed their condition deteriorating quickly, he took them to the local medical college hospital instead. Upon investigation, the family discovered that the oil-kept separately for external use to treat a woman's arthritis and mixed with datura-had accidentally been used to prepare the fried rice. Those admitted to the medical college hospital included 20-year-old Dimple, 32-year-old Gyanendra, 12-year-old Priya, 21-year-old Archana, 25-year-old Simple, 23-year-old Jacky Pandey, 55-year-old Radha Devi, and Suresh Kumar Pandey. Doctors said the condition of all patients improved after treatment. Dr Suman Kushwaha, district Ayurveda and Unani officer, warned that using datura (raw, dried, or mixed in oil) for joint pain is unsafe, as the causes of knee pain differ for each person. She advised patients to consult Ayurvedic hospitals instead of self-medicating. Even if datura seems to give temporary relief, it only numbs pain without treating the underlying issue. She also cautioned that datura or any mixture containing it can be dangerous, especially if accessible to children....