I tasted the Deadly Nightshade
Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2023 7:42 pm
So I was with my friend on a hike to some waterfalls deep in the upper reaches of a canyon in the Angeles National Forest and broke a rule I’ve followed for all of my life. I found a plant that I did not recognize, but have seen on trails and by local streams in the past, with ripe dark berries on it. I picked one, smooshed it between my fingers and took a whiff noticing it smelled like tomatoes! Then I took a teeny tiny lick and said, “hey can you ID this?” He said, “oh yeah that’s a nightshade!” And I replied, “oh nice. I licked it and it tastes like tomatoes!” He followed with some expletives and told me the full name was deadly nightshade and I proceeded to gargle my mouth with water and spit out as much as possible.
Didn’t feel any effects and my friend assured me that I would be alright since it takes at least 8 to kill an adult while I only licked a tiny bit of juice from one. I’ve been acknowledging my mistake online and spreading awareness for the last day because this might be the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.
Long story short, Deadly Nightshade tastes like tomatoes when ripe. Do not eat it and ID all plants WELL before eating.
Didn’t feel any effects and my friend assured me that I would be alright since it takes at least 8 to kill an adult while I only licked a tiny bit of juice from one. I’ve been acknowledging my mistake online and spreading awareness for the last day because this might be the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.
Long story short, Deadly Nightshade tastes like tomatoes when ripe. Do not eat it and ID all plants WELL before eating.