Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Smart identification practices
• Method 2 of 2: Identify common poisonous berries
• Tips
• Warnings

How can you know which berries are edible? The best way to know is to learn which berries are inedible. While you won't die from eating poisonous berries once, they do make you very sick. This list is not intended to discuss every poisonous berry in North America, but it provides guidelines that provide a good basis for identifying them.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Smart identification practices

1. When in doubt, don't eat wild berries. There are very few circumstances in which it is worth taking the risk of getting sick for the minute amount of calories contained in berries. Even if you have to survive, you better not take the risk. The diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea that follows eating poisonous berries causes you to lose vital fluids and sugars, putting you in a much more critical situation than having to do without a small amount of food.
   • Seeing an animal eat a berry doesn't mean they are edible to humans, although we often think this, especially if the animal is a mammal.
   • The following advice is a guideline, not a set rule. Never eat berries that you cannot identify.
2. Avoid white, yellow and green berries. These colors usually (according to some botanists up to 90%) indicate poisonous berries. While a knowledgeable camper may be able to list some exceptions, it is best to avoid all white, yellow and green berries unless you are certain they are edible.
   • About 50% of the red berries are edible, so after some research you can see which ones are safe and which are not. When they are grouped together, they are usually inedible. Berries that occur alone are often okay.
   • In general, blue, black, and compound berries (e.g. raspberries, blackberries, etc.) are safe to eat. There are a few exceptions (the crimson berry, with a dark pink stem and black berries, is very poisonous).
3. Stay away from berries on plants with thorns, a bitter odor, or milky sap. The following plants are usually not safe for humans to eat, including the berries. Consider the following characteristics:
   • Milky or strange-colored juices
   • Berries or nuts in pods or a wrap
   • Bitter or soapy taste
   • Thorns or small, pointed hair
   • Pink, purple or black spores.
   • Trifold growth pattern (like ivy)
4. Crush the berry to test its juice on your forearm, lips and tongue. A good way to quickly check berries is to see if they are causing a rash. First, crush the berry on your arm and wait five minutes to see if it causes a rash. Then repeat this process on your lips and gums. Finally, chew a berry for 10-15 minutes, but do not swallow it. If this does not cause a rash, go to the next step.
   • Always check one berry at a time. These tests are useless if you don't know which of the two berries is the problem.
5. If you really need to eat something, eat 1-2 berries and wait 20 minutes. If you have strong doubts, don't eat them. However, if you need the berries to survive, eat slowly and observe your body's reactions. You should have symptoms within 20 minutes if you are going to get sick.
   • Continue to eat slowly, even if you don't see any symptoms after 20 minutes. Spread the eating of berries over a long period of time to prevent toxins from building up and to give you time to notice any problems.
   • If the berry tastes bad, it is most likely poisonous.
6. Always have information with you to identify plants as you explore new places. There are not many set rules about berries because so many exist. If you are going trekking or exploring, bring a book with the names, photos and descriptions of berries. That way you know which berries you come across.
7. Recognize the symptoms of berry poisoning. You will most likely experience intense digestive and nervous system problems. In general, the following symptoms will appear within hours of eating poisonous berries, consult a doctor immediately:
   • nausea
   • vomit
   • dizziness
   • diarrhea
   • convulsions
   • blurred vision
   • cramps
8. Avoid places with weed killers, pesticides or other chemicals. Perfectly edible berries can become toxic when sprayed with chemicals. Smell the berries first and stay away from places near farms, courtyards or large gardens so as not to risk.
   • If you know a berry is edible, but are concerned about pesticides, you can rinse the berries in drinkable water and eat them safely.
   • Chemical poisoning often produces the same reactions as poisonous berries.

Method 2 of 2: Identify common poisonous berries

1. Stay away from the dark blue five-leaf vine. It is five-leaved, large and popular as a wall creeper. The berries are dark and blue. It is sometimes confused with the three-leaf ivy.
2. Recognize the dark purple, flat berries of the Western Crimson. It is a large and bushy plant. The flowers grow in long, dark pink clusters and the berries resemble bilberries. They look nice, but they are not.
3. Avoid the orange-yellow coated berries of the Bittersweet. You can easily recognize this plant because the berries are covered by an orange-yellow shell. Make sure you don't eat them. Picture of Bitterzoet
4. Stay away from the deadly nightshade, also known as belladonna or common berry. Many other plants of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), such as potatoes, are not lethal. The deadly nightshade flowers are white or purple and have the shape of a star. They usually occur in warm regions such as tropical America and in the form of a climbing plant. All parts of the plant, especially the unripe berries, are poisonous. The symptoms are severe and often fatal after eating them.
5. Never eat the berries of any variety of ivy. These are green climbing plants that often crawl on tree trunks or hang low to the ground. It has fat green leaves. It is also called peace lily, creeper, etc. It comes from Europe and temperate Asia. The berries are poisonous and white when ripe.
   • Usually the berries are very bitter, so you don't want to eat them anyway.
6. Stay away from the venom tree and its berries. The leaves are more toxic than the berries. Eating it can cause death without causing symptoms. The berries are fleshy and bright red. They have a dent at the base. The berry in itself is not dangerous, but you should absolutely avoid poison trees. The seeds can cause instant death.
7. Kiss under a mistletoe, but stay away from the berries. This plant grows and survives on other plants. This parasite plant has yellow flowers, narrow yellow-green leaves, and bears glossy white berries. It is not yet clear whether these berries are dangerous to humans at all times of their existence, but play it safe and avoid them.
8. Avoid holly. The tree used for Christmas wreaths has pointed, glossy leaves and bright red clusters of berries. One or two berries won't do anything, but 15-20 berries can be fatal.
9. Do not eat dogwood berries. In the fall and winter in the eastern US you will find dark red berries (with thin brown tips at the end) that often hang together in clusters. The leaves are broad and round. While they aren't deadly, you won't have much fun in the hours that follow eating the berries.
10. Stay away from the large red clusters of berries of the dwarf medlar. This evergreen has long branches that often point upwards. They are often so heavily loaded with light red, round berries that you cannot see the branches. They resemble narrow inverted tomatoes with small brown "leaves" at the end of the berry.
11. Watch out for the yellow-orange American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens). The yellow berries resemble small lemons and grapes and come in large clusters. They have a yellow tail at the end. American bittersweet is often found in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

Tips

• Some berries are harmless to birds and animals, but potentially fatal to humans.
• When in doubt, don't touch it!
• In English there are several rhymes that indicate the danger of berries:
  • Leaves of three, let it be! (Three leaves, let them hang!)
  • Hairy vine? No friend of mine! (Climbing vine with hair? Not a friend of mine!)
  • Berries white, danger in sight! (White berries, danger in sight!)
  • Red leaflets in spring are a dangerous thing. (Red leaves in the spring are dangerous)
  • Side leaflets like mittens will itch like the dickens! (Side leaves that look like mittens will itch)
  • Clusters of red will soon be dead! (Bunches red, dead soon!)
  • Plants get too thick, run away quick! (Run away from bushy plants, quickly!)
• These berries also exist in other parts of the world. This article focuses only on what can be found in North American gardens, roads, parks and landscapes.
• Some berries can be boiled to remove the poison. But avoid this practice unless you know which berries are involved.

Warnings

• Spit out immediately. If you eat a berry that tastes bad, spit it out immediately. Then wash your mouth thoroughly with water and get medical advice quickly.
• Always avoid wild plants you don't know.
• Just because a bird can eat a berry without danger does not mean that a human can.
• Many poisonous plants are also used in medicine. Although the poison can be removed or treated, do not prepare poisonous plants yourself unless you are 100 percent sure you know how to do this.
• If you think you have eaten a poisonous berry, see a doctor immediately.