Danger! These common plants are "highly poisonous"! Some people actually eat them...

Expert of this article: Shi Jun, PhD in Botany, member of the Science Communication Committee of the Chinese Society of Botany

Autumn is here, and some people are thinking about going outside to dig wild vegetables and pick mushrooms.

These are all dangerous behaviors that "hide murderous intent."

Everyone knows that wild mushrooms cannot be picked and eaten randomly, and there is no method to identify all poisonous mushrooms.

Also note that some wild plants are poisonous and can be very dangerous if eaten!

There have been reports of people being rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment after accidentally eating poisonous plants.

Compared to mushrooms, some poisonous wild plants are easier to identify. Remember, the following common plants are all poisonous and highly toxic, so they must not be eaten!

Aconitum: "If you suffer the most, you will be admitted to the ICU immediately"

There are 350 species of Aconitum, which are widely distributed in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 167 species in my country. Except Hainan Island, they are distributed in Taiwan Province and all provinces and regions of the mainland. They are mainly distributed in the high mountainous areas of northern Yunnan, western Sichuan and eastern Tibet.

Aconitum plants are easy to identify, with small flowers that look like ancient soldiers' helmets and small fruits that look like chicken feet. Aconitum is good-looking, but the whole plant is poisonous, and the most poisonous part is at its roots, which are called Aconitum because of their black color.

The main toxin in Aconitum is aconitine, which acts on the vagus nerve, first slowing down the heartbeat and then speeding it up. The toxic dose of aconitine is only 0.3 mg, and the lethal dose is only 3-5 mg.

Aconitum plants are usually used for two purposes: making arrow poison for hunting wild animals and making local pesticides to protect crops.

On September 9, 2015, a serious Aconitum poisoning incident occurred in Binchuan County, Dali, Yunnan. More than 20 people ate Aconitum stewed with pig's feet, which resulted in 6 deaths on the spot and 21 people were sent to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Why do some people risk their lives to eat Aconitum? Some people believe that eating Aconitum before winter can warm the body and resist diseases. However, the so-called "warmth" here is actually a symptom of mild poisoning.

It should also be noted that the nectar of Aconitum is also poisonous! The honey brewed by bees from such nectar is also poisonous. So everyone should try to avoid eating wild honey.

Gelsemium elegans: Gelsemium elegans is not just for nothing

Gelsemium is a plant of the genus Gelsemium in the family Loganaceae. The family Loganaceae is a collection of poisons, and both Strychnos nux vomica and Curare Strychnos nux vomica are fierce poisons.

Gelsemium elegans looks very cute, very similar to honeysuckle, but don't get close to it. They are the highly poisonous Gelsemium elegans mentioned in "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

Gelsemium elegans contains collutin, a type of extremely powerful nerve inhibitor. These toxins can inhibit the function of respiratory and motor nerves, and can even directly stop the contraction of the myocardium.

After poisoning, the heartbeat and breathing will gradually slow down, the muscles of the limbs will lose control, and eventually death will occur due to respiratory paralysis. In fact, this doesn't seem to have anything to do with "broken heart"...

So how to distinguish them? The difference between Gelsemium and honeysuckle is very obvious. Not to mention the difference in whether there are hairs on the branches and leaves, the fact that the flowers of Gelsemium do not change color is a very obvious distinguishing mark.

In addition, Gelsemium has a particularly bitter taste, and it is extremely bitter! Therefore, it can cause great alarm in people.

Generally speaking, when people are poisoned by Gelsemium elegans, there are two situations.

One is accidental picking and ingestion. For example, a patient once mistook Gelsemium elegans for "cold tea" and ate about 20 grams of leaves. Fortunately, he was rescued.

The other is that some regular ingredients are mixed in. In the wild, Gelsemium elegans often grows together with the five-fingered ginseng, and the root of the five-fingered ginseng is a common ingredient for stewing soup. If the roots of Gelsemium elegans are mixed in when the five-fingered ginseng is dug, it may cause tragedy.

In fact, the tongue's sensitivity to bitterness is also one of the self-protection mechanisms of the human body that has evolved over a long period of time to prevent us from eating poisonous things.

Castor: The seeds are not easy to mess with

Castor is a particularly useful economic crop. Castor seeds contain a lot of protein, accounting for 33%-35% of the weight of castor seeds, and are a very good source of feed.

In addition to protein, castor oil also contains a lot of oil, which is widely used in industry and appears in various coatings and lubricating oils for internal combustion engines.

But you should be especially careful with castor seeds because they contain the potent toxin ricin.

Ricin is a very toxic toxin, with a lethal dose of only 2 mg, which is much stronger than cobra venom! It causes cell death by inhibiting the activity of ribosomes, and ultimately leads to the death of the patient.

The nature of ricin is quite stable and it is difficult to be destroyed under normal alkaline and acidic conditions. What's worse, there is currently no effective detoxification method for ricin. The only way to reduce the effects of poisoning is to induce vomiting and relieve symptoms. Even if the rescue is successful, it is likely to leave sequelae such as organ damage.

Fortunately, the ricin content in ordinary castor seeds is not high. Adults usually need to eat more than 8 seeds before they will be poisoned. However, if the amount is large, it is still life-threatening. If you accidentally eat too many seeds (2-7 seeds for children and about 20 seeds for adults), it is likely to be fatal!

Since these plants are so poisonous

So how do you avoid poisoning?

In fact, the method is very simple

Plants that are nutritious and of guaranteed quality

You can buy it in regular vegetable markets

Don't take the risk of going far away!

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