It is a survival procedure for determining whether wild plants (only plants, not for mushrooms) are poisonous or edible.
Even if you believe the plant is safe, you should always perform this test to avoid suffering from plants with toxic plants.
The entire testing process takes 24 hours.
Step 1) FAST (8 Hours)
Eat nothing for at least 8 hours before testing to ensure that any reaction you experience is from the
plant and not something you have eaten previously.
Step 2) DIVIDE
Avoid anything with common poisonous traits such as mushrooms, green, yellow and white berries,
umbrella-shaped flowers, shiny, wavy leaves, plants with 3 leaves, bright colors and discolored,
milky sap.
Divide the plant into its main parts: buds, flowers, leaves, stems, and roots. Separate them into
groups. Focus on one part at a time.
Step 3) SMELL
Examine the plant for foul, strong, acidic, musty or moldy scents. Avoid plants that smells like pears
or bitter almonds. They indicate cyanide, a lethal poison.
Step 4) SKIN REACTION TEST (8 Hours)
Take the portion that you intend to eat. Put the plant part and juice on your wrist or inner forearm,
inside your elbow for at least 15 minutes.
Then, wait 8 hours to see to observe for reactions. This step can be done while fasting. You can drink
water but don’t eat anything.
If you experience itching, burning, swelling, soreness, or blistering, remove the plant and immediately wash the affected area with soap. Apply cortisone or Benadryl to the area. If you don’t have any creams, wet the cloth, and press it against the area.
Reactions may fade within a few hours or weeks. If no reaction is observed after 8 hours, proceed to step 5.
Step 5) COOK
Although some plants can be eaten raw, they should be cooked for several reasons. Cook a small
portion in any preferred method (boiling, frying, etc.). First, some poisonous plants are edible when
cooked. Raw plants are more difficult to digest and can cause upset stomach, particularly if you’re
not used to eating them.
Step 6) TASTE (15 Minutes)
Taste the cooked plant outside of the lips for 3 minutes.
If you feel any reaction, discard the plant and rinse your mouth, lips, and hands before returning to
step 1 to test another part.
If not, place that plant on the tongue and hold it there for 15 minutes.
Step 7) CHEW (15 Minutes)
If no symptoms appear, chew it thoroughly without swallowing and hold it again for 15 minutes.
Keep out for itching, numbness, and burning.
Step 8) SWALLOW (8 hours)
If there’s no reaction in your mouth, swallow it and wait 8 hours to see if it causes any. If you feel
illness, you must eliminate it from your body quickly either by forcing yourself to vomit or flushing
your system with plenty of water.
Step 9) REPEAT THE TEST
Wait 8 hours before restarting the test with other parts of the plant or any new plant. If there are no
side effects, it is edible. Repeat the steps for every part of the plant.
Conclusion
The entire process is time-consuming. Many poisonous plants resemble edible plants and are difficult to distinguish. And some parts of the plants are edible while others are poisonous. Hence, it’s best to test with these steps.
Content Writer by Win Win Maw
