Dangers of Herbs

There are many different dangers when it comes to the process or practice of herbalism for medicinal and practical uses. When somebody doesn't know what they're doing, herbs can be very dangerous and even deadly. Brewing together certain plants and drinking them or ingesting them without knowing what they are is not a recommended suggestion for anyone.

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Even if somebody says, they know what is good for you it is always a good idea to make sure that you know something about this yourself before trying it, or you may find yourself in a predicament that you are not happy about. People have been using Herbalism around the world to do very mischievous things. There are certain flowers that can be turned into dust and sprayed into people's face that will essentially allow a person to do anything they want to you.

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This flower dust basically turns you into a zombie. It is the pharmaceutical equivalent to ruffies also known as the date rape drug. There are many different dangers when it comes to herbal medicine and if you don't know what you're doing it is recommended that you learn from someone who does. Familiarizing yourself with herbal medications is something that you may think about doing in the future as it is something that you may think you will apply at any time in your life but you just never know when the situation may call for it.

 

Which is why it's wise to either intruduce ourselves with basic botany, or getting a pocket guide. Personally I have a pocket guide in my phone that introduces all edible and medicinal plants by appearence, description and season of harvest, as well as how they are used and which part of the plant we need, when they are used and when to absolutely not use, and lastly whether they're poisonous. It even has plants from which we can make dyes and clothes from.

Basicaly in the wild it's very useful to know your way around botany. If you've never read or carried a guide, another way to see if something is edible is to observe other animals' behaviour. Most mammals have prety much the same digestive system, so there's a good chance it will be safe for humans if it's safe for those animals. Although some animals tend to go to the "high" plants, if you get my drift...

Botany's evil twin is mushroom harvesting. Now that is much more complicated than botany because many edible and poisonous species actually look very much like each other to the untrained eye.

 

You are right on the money Correy, I am studying herbalism at the moment and there's so much information that for anyone who has no idea about herbs, a pocket guide would be the best investment when it comes to surviving in the wild. Many herbs have a similar appearance and sometimes you need to smell them in order to tell the difference.

 

It's not uncommon to confuse one plant for other, especially if they're similar in appearance. In my home country, a man died last year from eating a plant he collected in the field. He thought it was perennial wall rocket, but it was palan palan (Nicotiana glauca), a dangerous toxic plant. Also, many edible plants could be contaminated by an external source of pollution such as toxic runoff or hazardous wastes.

 

https://www.britannica.com/list/7-of-the-worlds-most-poisonous-mushrooms

^^^deadly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_poisonous_plants

^^^
Some will surprise you.

http://www.thegreatmorel.com/
This one is a delicacy.

Be 100% sure as there is a false moral that will kill ya.
http://www.thegreatmorel.com/

Buy and carry a mushroom i.d. book if foraging for mushrooms.

Oleander (Nerium oleander) is a common ornamental evergreen shrub. It is used as a freeway median divider in warmer states, such as California. This plant is extremely toxic, and a single leaf may kill an adult. This photograph shows oleander not yet in bloom.

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/3079.htm