2025-08-08 11:22:40

A British university has warned its students not to eat conkers.

University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, put up posters around its international student study centre on its campus, which showed a conker – also known as a horse chestnut – in a red circle that had a cross through it.

Above the image, it read: “Do not eat conkers!”

Below the illustration, it continued: “These are not chestnuts and eating them will make you unwell.”

This is because horse chestnuts contain a toxin called aesculin, and this can cause people to be sick, as well as make them experience abdominal pain.

The University of East Anglia has created these posters because its new intake of Chinese students – approximately 1,000 of the 17,000 students come from the Asian country – may confuse them with water chestnuts.

It comes after a member of staff who has worked with Chinese students in the past “recalled similar confusion elsewhere”.

Water chestnuts are popular in China for their sweet, nutty, crisp, apple-like or coconut-like flavor, as well as their crunchy texture.

A spokesperson for the University of East Anglia told The Sun newspaper: “As far as we’re aware, no students have attempted to eat conkers, and we’d like to keep it that way.

“The posters were prompted by a member of staff who previously worked with Chinese students and recalled similar confusion elsewhere.

“It’s part of our broader commitment to student wellbeing.”

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