Drastic times require drastic action. If you're ever stranded in the wilderness without food, you'll have to find your own food. Many of the plants in the forest are edible, but many are also poisonous. See Step 1 onwards to learn how to tell if the plants you find are safe to eat.
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Method 1 of 2: Testing Is It Edible
Step 1. Avoid using this method without careful planning
Some plants can be deadly, and even if you follow these guidelines properly, there is a chance that one plant could make you seriously ill.
- Prepare yourself for a wilderness trip by learning about the local flora and fauna, and bring a guidebook or taxonomy key to help you identify plants.
- Even if you're unprepared and can't find food that you know is safe remember that, depending on your activity level, the human body can last several days without food, and you'd rather be hungry than poisoned.
Step 2. Look for abundant plants
You don't want to go through the rigorous process of testing a plant if it doesn't have much to eat.
Step 3. Avoid eating or drinking anything except purified water for 8 hours prior to the test
(If you must use this method, this step may be unavoidable.)
Step 4. Separate the plant into several parts
Some plants have edible and poisonous parts. To test whether a plant is edible, you will need to separate the leaves, stems and roots to test each part separately whether it is edible.
- Once you've separated the plant into sections, inspect each section you prepared for parasites. If you find worms or small insects in the plant, stop testing with the sample and consider looking for a different sample from the plant. Evidence of worms, parasites or insects indicates that the plant is rotten, especially if the organisms have left the plant.
- Many parts of the plant are only edible during certain seasons (for example, acorns collected after autumn usually rot). If you find larvae in a plant, it rots, but the larvae are edible and rich in protein (although they taste sour and gritty).
Step 5. Find out if the plant is contact poison
Contact poisonous plants are those that cause a reaction just by touching your skin. Rub the selected plant part on the inside of your elbow or wrist. Crush it so that the sap touches your skin, and let it sit for 15 minutes. If the plant causes a reaction within the next 8 hours, do not continue testing that part of the plant.
Do this with each part of the plant until you find a part that is non-toxic by contact
Step 6. Cook small portions of the plant parts
Some plants are only toxic when raw, so it's a good idea to cook the part of the plant you're testing if possible. If you can't cook the plant or if you don't anticipate that you can cook it at a later date, test it raw.
Step 7. Test the plant in your mouth
This part of the test is where things get dangerous, so proceed slowly and carefully. Take the next step to test the plant in your mouth:
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Hold a small portion of the prepared plant inside your lips for 3 minutes. Don't put the plant in your mouth. If you feel a burning, tingling, or other reaction, stop.
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Place a small portion of the plant part on your tongue. Hold the plant to your tongue without chewing for 15 minutes. Stop testing if you react.
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Chew the plant and leave it in your mouth for 15 minutes. Chew the plant well, and don't swallow it. Stop testing if you feel any reaction.
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Swallow small portions of the plant.
Test if a Plant Is Edible Step 7Bullet4
Step 8. Wait 8 hours
Do not eat or drink anything during this time except purified water. If you feel sick, immediately force yourself to vomit and drink lots of water. If activated charcoal is available, drink it with water. Stop testing if you experience any adverse reactions.
Step 9. Eat cup (59 ml) of the same plant prepared in the same way
It is very important that you use plant parts from the same plant, and that you prepare them in exactly the same way as the first sample.
Step 10. Wait another 8 hours
Avoid other foods except purified water. Force yourself to vomit right away as above if you feel sick. If no reaction occurs, you can assume that only that part of the plant is safe to eat, and that it was only prepared as in the test.
Step 11. Start a new test, if the plant part you selected fails any test
If the first plant part you selected turns out to be contact toxic, you can test the new plant immediately on the other arm or behind your knee. If the plant causes a reaction before you ingest it, wait until the symptoms have subsided before testing a new plant. If you experience a bad reaction after ingesting the plant, wait for the symptoms to disappear and start a new test. While there may be edible parts of your chosen plant, it's best to pass it on to another plant for further testing.
Step 12. Do a step-by-step test if you have other food sources
If you are in a situation where you have other safe food sources, you can incorporate this test into your diet gradually by separating it into 3 stages, and using your normal 8 hours of sleep as the 8 hours of testing for each stage. Again, this should only be used if you are in a survival situation (for example, your food rations are running low, and you need to start testing other sources before the existing ones run out) or you cannot find documentation for a particular plant and are willing to take a risk (poisoning). and death) exists.
- Get up and do the contact poison testing section. After 8 hours, eat regular food (“not” the plant under test).
- The next morning, complete the test until swallowing one portion. After 8 hours, assuming you are alive and well, eating normal food again.
- Eat the entire sample of the plant being tested on the third morning. After 8 hours, celebrate life and the addition of edible plants by eating delicious food.
- Don't ignore other steps, tips, or warnings; This alternative method is simply to save your body from the stress of a 24-hour fast, and allows you to continue testing plants in an area without starvation for more than 16 hours a day, and only 8 hours on the last day, assuming (59 ml) can sustain you.
Method 2 of 2: Knowing What to Look for
Step 1. Know the signs of a poisonous plant
Some poisonous plants look, smell and taste like they are edible, but some give a sign that they are not edible to humans. Avoiding plants of this quality might cause you to leave plants that are actually edible, but it's better to play it safe. Avoid plants with the following characteristics:
- white berries
- White sap
- Smells like almond
- Seeds, beans or tubers in pods.
- Thorns or hair.
- Bitter taste
- Seed heads with pink or black spurs.
- Bunch of three leaves.
Step 2. Look for plants that are recognized as edible
If you know what you're looking for, you'll likely find some plants you recognize from the grocery aisle. Don't eat any unidentified berry you see unless you are 100% sure that it is edible, unless you want to risk getting sick or dying. Any plant you find in the wilderness should be tested according to the method above, as some poisonous plants look similar to edible ones. However, the following plants that look like common edible plants are a great place to start.
- Blueberries
- Blackberry
- Dandelion
- Asparagus
- Strawberry
- Wild onion
- Persimmon
- Chestnut
- Banana
- Mango
- Coconut
- Pawpaw
- Taro
- Cactus
Step 3. Don't forget the seaweed
Seaweed is a nutritious plant source that can be eaten as long as it is harvested fresh from the sea. Don't try to eat seaweed that has washed up on the seashore. If you can swim a little and harvest fresh seaweed, you will have a good food source that provides minerals and vitamin C. The following common seaweeds can be eaten:
- Kelp
- Green seaweed
- Irish Moss
- Dulse
- Vessel
Tips
- Cook plant parts underground if possible, to kill bacteria and fungi.
- If you see an animal eating a plant, don't assume that the plant is safe for humans. Some things are toxic to humans that have no effect on animals.
- Aggregate berries (such as blackberries and raspberries) are generally safe to eat. (Though in some places where blackberries are considered pests, the plants may have been sprayed with herbicides.) One exception to this rule is the white berry that grows only in Alaska.
- Avoid plant bulbs unless they smell like onions or garlic.
- The guidelines in this article, particularly the Warnings section, may exclude some edible plants, but these warnings are included to help you avoid some of the most toxic common plants.
- Peel ripe tropical fruit and eat it uncooked. If you must eat unripe fruit, cook it first. Follow all testing guidelines with this fruit unless you know it's edible.
Warning
- Avoid plants with umbrella-shaped flowers.
- Avoid mold and other mushrooms. While many mushrooms are edible, many are also deadly, and if you're not trained they can be very difficult to tell apart even after you've tested them.
- Testing plants can be dangerous. These steps should only be attempted in a very emergency situation.
- Avoid plants with whitish sap. (You shouldn't eat the dandelion stalks, but the rest can be eaten).
- Hondari Holly berries are red and juicy as these are highly toxic except for birds.
- Avoid plants with shiny leaves.
- Don't assume a plant is safe if you see an animal eating it.
- Avoid plants with yellow, white or red berries.
- Once you are sure that a plant is edible, take care to make sure the next crop you harvest is the same. Many plants look alike.
- Do not eat plants that have been introduced to by worms, insects or parasites.
- Do not eat peach or almond seeds as they contain a small amount of cyanide.
- Generally, avoid thorns. If a plant has aggregate berries, those berries are safe to eat. Other exceptions include thistles and prickly pear cactus.
- Before turning to unknown plants, look around to see if there's anything else you can eat like coconut, meat, fish or something else. If you can't find an edible ingredient, be careful when testing the plant/berry.
