Common Poisonous Plants in Rural Areas Easily Confused with Wild Edible Plants
You may not be aware of the green plants related content of common poisonous plants in rural areas that are easily confused with wild edible plants. The specific introduction is as follows:
Common Poisonous Plants in Rural Areas Easily Confused with Wild Edible Plants
There are 12 most common toxic weeds in rural areas that should not be picked and eaten randomly. Some of them are mistakenly eaten as wild vegetables, so it's necessary to recognize them again to avoid food poisoning!
It's almost time for the beginning of summer, and the wild vegetables in the fields are also gradually becoming edible. Many people will pick them to try them, but some plants contain toxins and should not be touched easily.
The older generation in rural areas may be able to recognize them, but it's not easy for young people to distinguish them. Therefore, it's necessary to recognize them again to avoid food poisoning!
1. -- Water Hemlock --
It looks similar to celery but is not edible. The entire plant is toxic, with the flowers being the most toxic part. consumption can cause nausea, vomiting, limb paralysis, and in severe cases, it can endanger life.
2. -- Strychnos --
Strychnos is highly toxic and should not be consumed easily. It is also known as nux vomica, and its main component is strychnine. consumption of 5-10 mg by an adult can cause poisoning, and 30 mg can be fatal.
3. -- Cat's Eye Grass --
The toxic part of Cat's Eye Grass is its white sap, which can cause skin allergies upon contact. If the white sap is ingested by mistake, it can cause mouth numbness and stomach discomfort, and in large amounts, it can cause dizziness.
4. -- Sensitive Plant --
The Sensitive Plant is common in rural areas. Its leaves can respond to heat and light, so when we touch it with our hands, it will immediately close, hence the name.
The Sensitive Plant contains shyalkonin o-β-D-glucoside, which is slightly toxic. Excessive contact can cause hair and eyebrows to turn yellow and even fall out. In addition, shyalkonin can cause cataracts and growth inhibition. Therefore, we should not touch or grow the Sensitive Plant indoors.
5. -- Solanum --
Many people have eaten Solanum, usually its leaves and the purple-black fruits. However, it should be noted that the green fruits are not edible because they contain a large amount of solanine.
Unripe tomatoes and green potatoes that have sprouted also contain solanine. They taste bitter and astringent, and excessive consumption can cause poisoning, dizziness, nausea, general discomfort, vomiting, and fatigue. It can inhibit the central nervous system and cause acute cerebral edema, gastroenteritis, etc.
6. -- Grapes of Wrath --
In the south, April and May are the seasons when the Grapes of Wrath gradually ripen. Unripe Grapes of Wrath are green, initially red, and then turn purple-black, sweet and slightly astringent, highly toxic, and often cause children to eat them by mistake and even die.
Because the Grapes of Wrath look similar to mulberries, many people will eat them by mistake. They mainly contain toxins such as coriaria, hydroxycoriaria, and norcoriaria.
If eaten by mistake, it can stimulate the cerebral cortex to cause excitement, convulsions, vomiting, and other symptoms of poisoning. Frequent rigid convulsions can cause cerebral edema, etc., and other organs such as the lungs, liver, heart, and kidneys are also damaged. Therefore, children should be warned not to eat them.
7. -- Castor Bean --
Castor Bean is relatively familiar to everyone. Our country is one of the countries that plant castor beans the most in the world. In the past, there was even a song called "I Plant Castor Beans for My Motherland," which once made great contributions.
The Castor Bean plant is precious, its leaves can detoxify and stop itching, its roots can dispel wind and activate blood, and its seeds can be pressed for oil and used as fuel. In the past, when there was often a power outage in rural areas, many places used castor oil as fuel for oil lamps. Moreover, in some places in the past, it could even be used to pay for tuition.
The toxin in castor protein is thousands of times more toxic than arsenic, 2-3 times more toxic than cobra venom, and more than 6000 times more toxic than cyanide.
If an adult ingests an excessive amount of castor toxin, they will not die immediately, but will first experience chest tightness, then gradually have difficulty breathing, and finally die of organ failure.
Therefore, we should not easily consume it. Some friends say that they have stir-fried castor beans before, and it's hard to tell whether it's true or not. It sounds incredible!
8. -- Strychnine --
The strychnine we are talking about now is different from the strychnine mentioned in ancient times. The strychnine mentioned in ancient times was not a single plant but several plants.
It refers to the herbal medicines or plants that cause strong toxic and side reactions in the human gastrointestinal tract due to improper administration or accidental consumption. Mainly including plants like Tripterygium, Thalictrum, Euphorbia, Aconitum, Sapium, Rhododendron, etc.
The strychnine we are talking about today is the common hookweed found in the south. In the southern rural areas, many people use five-fingered peach to make soup, but when digging for five-fingered peach, it's easy to mix in hookweed, as its roots, stems, and flowers are all toxic.
Because its roots look like the roots of the five-fingered peach, and its flowers are often mistaken for honeysuckle and picked for consumption, it's important to distinguish between them.
Hookweed contains hookweed alkaloids, a strong neurotoxin that can cause strong reactions in the digestive system, circulatory system, and respiratory system.
9. -- Cycad Fruits --
Cycads are more common in southern regions and are usually used as ornamental plants. They are evergreen and easy to care for, often planted in parks, residential areas, and roadsides for ornamental purposes.
Some people who are not familiar with cycads may think that they don't bloom often. In fact, cycads often bloom in the south, with beautiful flowers and fruits, known as "phoenix eggs."
However, it should be noted that the fruits of cycads are toxic, containing toxic substances such as cycasin. If ingested by mistake, it can cause nerve paralysis, and excessive consumption can even lead to death.
10. -- American Pokeweed --
This string-like thing called American Pokeweed, also known as Pokeweed, is an invasive plant native to North America. It was collected in Hangzhou, China, in 1935 and introduced as an ornamental plant. In the past rural areas, children in some places used it as a dye or to stain their nails.
American Pokeweed is toxic throughout, with the roots and fruits being the most toxic. Its roots look similar to ginseng and are often mistaken for ginseng.
After consumption, mild cases can cause dizziness, vertigo, and diarrhea, while severe cases can cause vomiting or dry retching, burning sensation from the mouth to the stomach, abdominal spasms, diarrhea, and even death from heart麻痹. Parents should be careful not to let children eat it by mistake.
11. -- Angle Vine --
This plant is more common in southern cities, and its fruit looks similar to goat horns, so it's called Angle Vine in rural areas. In rural areas, some children will play with the fruit as toys, and parents must warn their children not to eat it.
The entire plant is toxic, containing strong cardenolides, a mixture of various cardenolides. The mechanism of poisoning is similar to that of cardenolide drugs such as digitalis.
After poisoning, mild cases can experience headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting, while severe cases can experience convulsions, coma, and death from heart failure.
The above-sharing experience of common poisonous plants in rural areas that are easily confused with wild edible plants may bring help to you in life!