The spikes of the lychee fruit -- also known as litchi -- may be a deterrent for some animals, but for humans willing to break it away, it's an exotic and tasty treat. And often, just one is not enough.
But if eaten too early, particularly by someone who missed their evening meal or by a child in a malnourished state, this seemingly sweet fruit can be toxic and sometimes fatal, as shown recently by a mystery illness that affected the town of Muzaffarpur in India -- the country's largest lychee-producing region.
