Wild Plants as a Food Source

Next to water, food is your most urgent need. So, if you are forced into a survival situation, you should always be on the lookout for sources of food. You should live off the land whenever possible and save your rations, if any, for a greater emergency.

Remember that you can live many days without food as long as you have water. When water is not a problem, try to drink more than a normal amount to stay healthy. Also, keep in mind eating increases thirst. If you have less than a quart of water a day, avoid dry, highly flavored (salty) foods and meat. Eat foods that are high in carbohydrates if you can.

Getting nourishment from plants

Plants can be a valuable source of food. They won't provide a balanced diet, but can sustain your body.

In a survival situation, it is important to be able to recognize edible plants, be they cultivated or wild. There are several things to remember when collecting plants for consumption:

  • Cultivated plants (and anything growing near them) may have been sprayed with pesticides. Be sure and wash them thoughouly before eating.
  • Wash plants for eating in water that is suitable for drinking. Plants that are washed in contaminated water are also contaminated.
  • Some people are more sensitive to gastric upset than others. If you are one of these sensitive types, try to avoid unknown wild plants
  • Some edible wild plants have a bitter taste. You can remove the substances that make them bitter by boiling them in several changes of water.
  • Many valuable wild plants can have a high concentration or oxalate compounds, which cause a burning senstion in your mouth. these oxalate compounds are bad for your kidneys. Usually, you can destroy these compounds by boiling the plant.

The Universal Edibility Test

You should apply the following test if you have any uncertainty as to the edibility of a plant:

  1. Test only one part of a potential food plant at a time
  2. Break the plant into its basic components - leaves, stems, roots, buds, and flowers.
  3. Smell the food for strong or acidic odors. Keep in mind that smell alone does not indicate a plant is enedible.
  4. Do not eat for 8 hours before starting the test.
  5. During the 8 hours your are abstaining from eating, test for contact poisoning by placing a piece of the plant part you are testing on the inside of your elbow or wrist. Usually, 15 minutes is long enough to allow for a reaction.
  6. During the test period, take nothing by mouth except for purified water and the plant part being tested.
  7. Select a small portion of a single component and prepare it the way you plan to eat it.
  8. Before putting the prepared plant part in your mouth, touch a small portion (a pinch) to the outer surface of the lip to test for burning or itching.
  9. If after 3 minutes there is no reaction on your lip, place the plant part on your tongue, holding it there for 15 minutes.
  10. If there is no reaction, thoroughly chew a pinch and hold it in your mouth for 15 minutes. DO NOT SWALLOW.
  11. If no burning, itching, numbiung, stinging, or other irritation occurs during the 15 minutes, swallow the food.
  12. Wait 8 hours. If any ill effects occur duing this period, induce vomiting and drink a lot of water
  13. If no ill effects occur, eat 1/2 cup of the same plant part prepared the same way. Wait another 8 hours. If no ill effects occur, the plant part as prepared is safe for eating.

NOTE ** You should test all parts of a plant for edibility, as some plants can have both edible and non-edible parts. Do not assume that a part that proved to be edible when cooked is also edibly raw. Test the part raw to ensure edibility before eating raw. **

Do NOT eat unknown plants that:

  • - have a milky sap or a sap that turns black when it is exposed to air.
  • - are mushroom-like.
  • - resemble onion or garlic.
  • - resemble parsley, parsnip, or dill.
  • - have carrot-like leaves, roots, or tubers.