A man in Eastern China was hospitalized after eating a puffer fish soup. The victim was only identified by his surname Wang. 

Wang's otherwise uneventful dinner with his friend on Saturday at a seafood restaurant in Jinjiang, Fujian province landed him in a hospital bed with puffer fish poison in his body, South China Morning Post reported. 

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Li, the restaurant owner, reportedly bought the fish from a wet market. She admitted that she failed to clean the puffer fish's liver properly, which is the most poisonous body part of the fish along with its ovaries and intestines. 

Three hours after leaving the restaurant, Wang felt dizzy and started vomiting, prompting his family to take him to the hospital. Doctors had to pump his stomach eight times to rid Wang of the poison. 

Authorities are currently investigating Li and her restaurant. 

Deadly poison 

A puffer fish's ovaries, intestines, and livers are extremely toxic and can even kill people. There is no known drug to counteract the poison. Serving puffer fish has been legal in mainland China since 2010. 

Although poisonous, the puffer fish is considered a rare delicacy in many restaurants around the world. Preparation is highly monitored by the government, such as in Japan where chefs are made to undergo years of training before preparing for customers.  

Some countries even require licenses, including the United States. Meanwhile, puffer fish is banned in the European Union. 

Tagspuffer fish poisoning, puffer fish not cleaned properly in China, puffer fish liver toxins