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VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3.
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1) Which one is safe?
Two are poisonous while
one is edible.

2) Again, which one is safe?

3 & 4) Compare the two.
Are they the same plant?
Which is safe, or are they
both poisonous?

 

oo often, society becomes secure in its environment. We know what plant grows in our yards. Why not, we planted them. Even when venturing into our local forests, we seem to have the uncanny ability to identify all things around us. When things become unclear, people make mistakes. Once in a lifetime, we may just find ourselves in a real survival situation.

A true survival situation occurs when least expected and surroundings are unfamiliar. Days are spent dreaming of a juicy steak to fill the appetite. People can forget about the plentiful vegetation around them. The problem is the ability to identify what is safe or poisonous. By conducting the universal plant testing procedure, a survivor can fill that void within their stomach.

All too often, people ask “how poisonous is that plant?” To ensure everyone understands some basic principles, plants contain certain toxins, of which, in extreme quantities can cause side effects (or referred to as poisoning). These side effects can range from mild nausea and diarrhea to affecting blood pressure, heart rate, and coma or death. Plants can change their properties during a growing season which generally relates to increased toxin levels. Every person has a different toxin resistance level. Because of these uncertainties, no one can correctly predict how poisonous a plant is.

The first step of the plant testing procedure is to select a plant that grows abundantly in the area. It makes no sense to test a plant that is difficult to locate. After making this determination, separate the root, stem, and flower. which one is safe?Certain parts of plants may contain toxins which are harmful, while other parts may be eatable. An example is the potato or tomato. While we can identify with the specific food, their green parts are poisonous. Should you desire to see if the entire plant is safe, a separate test must be conducted for each part of the plant.

Testing for contact or absorption poisoning is next. Take a portion of the plant and rub vigorously on a sensitive portion of the skin and wait 15 minutes. The best place of skin to test is the inner forearm. Should any signs of rash irritation, or swelling appear, stop the test.

Prior to proceeding any further, food must have not been eaten for at least eight hours. This ensures the digestive tract is empty. You will be inducing small quantities of plant into your body. Should there be any poisonous toxins in the plant, food in the digestive tract may absorb some of the toxins. As plant intake is increased in the process, the food could release the absorbed toxins. With the introduction of more plant, the body could easily be overloaded with toxins. This overload of toxins may be too much for the body to dispose; resulting in death.

Although you can do the test with a raw plant, I do not advocate this. Many plants have toxins which are destroyed by heat or are water soluble. In my opinion, boiling the plant is not enough. I teach the method of double boiling. What this means is to boil the plant in water, then change the water, and repeat the process.

Prior to actual ingestion of the plant, have plenty of cold charcoal from your fire and disinfected water available. I can not overemphasize this important fact. If at any time the symptoms of nausea, vomiting, cramping, or dizziness occur, IMMEDIATELY induce vomiting and consume the charcoal. The charcoal will aid in the absorption of toxins. As the body is attempting to rid itself of the harmful toxins, the kidneys may shutdown. Drinking large quantities of water will help flush the kidneys, thus hopefully preventing renal failure. Waiting to see if the symptoms improve, may result in the failure to physically accomplish simple tasks. A delay may be too late which could result in death.

Up to this point, we have been relatively safe. Now we move on to uncharted waters. Place a teaspoon of prepared plant on the tongue and begin chewing for fifteen minutes. Do not swallow it. What you are checking for is absorption poisoning. If any symptoms appear, (i.e. nausea or dizziness), discard the plant immediately and irrigate your mouth with disinfected water. Swallow the plant after the fifteen minutes of chewing has passed without any symptoms.

With the plant in our digestive tract, we are checking for ingestion poisoning. For the next eight hours, continue to check for abnormal symptoms. Those symptoms are nausea, vomiting, cramping, diarrhea, or dizziness. If any occur, induce vomiting and eat the charcoal. After this period has passed without symptoms, consume two teaspoons of prepared plant. Again, continue to monitor for abnormal symptoms for another eight hours, being prepared to take immediate action.

When the eight hour period has passed, the plant is finally considered safe for human consumption. The last step is to sketch and document the plant in a notebook for future reference.

Plants can change their properties during a growing season. This means that at certain parts of the year, the plant part is eatable, while poisonous at other times. By sketching and documenting, you can easily identify if it has changed its properties by shape, color, or flowering. If it has, you must conduct another test to ensure its safety.

Although the universal plant testing procedure is time consuming, playing Russian Roulette with vegetation in a survival situation is not acceptable. Knowledge of plants is always the first step in safety. With approximately 260,000 known species, it will be difficult to correctly identify the exact plant in an unknown environment. The universal plant testing procedure may be what saves your life.


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