Red berries: differentiate between poisonous and edible

Many plants are poisonous

In this context, it is about poisonous plants whose plant parts, flowers or fruits lead to poisoning even in small quantities. The fact that excessive indulgence of fruit can lead to bulging pain is not meant.

Over time, plants have developed mechanisms to protect themselves. They contain poisons that cause severe discomfort to keep animals from eating the plants. Most poisoning is uncomfortable but not dangerous.

That is not to say that eating low-poisonous plants will not put your child at risk. Any poisoning can be dangerous with pre-existing illnesses.

Recognize harmless red berries

Outwardly you cannot tell whether Berry are toxic or not. The principle is: stay away from red berries that you don't know. There are no characteristics by which you can tell what is good and what is not. Learn to recognize some edible berries and eat only from them.

Poisonous and harmless red berries	Dangerousness	characteristic
currant	healthy	Doesn't come across as wild
raspberry	healthy	Twigs have fine thorns, toothed leaves, many small stone fruits form a "berry"
rose hip	healthy	shrub with spines, many small, light-colored nuclei inside
cranberry	healthy	Difficult to distinguish from poisonous berries
strawberry	healthy	Occurs in small form around forest
False strawberry	non-toxic	Looks like strawberry, but doesn't taste good
Aroma stick	poisonous	Upright stems covered with berries, the plant is 15 cm high
yew	poisonous	Red cup-shaped berries on one Conifer
honeysuckle	poisonous	Shrub in deciduous and mixed forests, berries taste bitter
Coral berry	poisonous	Low ornamental shrub in the garden
Rowan berries	poisonous	Small tree with pinnate leaves
ilex	highly poisonous	Spines on the leaves
lily of the valley	highly poisonous	15 to 25 cm high plant with leaves standing in pairs, berries hang from a stem that grows from the middle

Eaten poisonous fruits - tips

If you or your child accidentally ate red berries that were later found to be poisonous, keep calm. Most berries are not dangerous.

Do not give milk to drink. If the toxins are fat-soluble, this is how they get into the circulation. It is also wrong to drink salt water or break it on purpose. The toxins can get into the lungs or, if you regurgitate, damage the esophagus.

Try to find out which berries it is. Keep parts of the plant or take photos of the plant.

If the symptoms are harmless, such as vomiting and diarrhea, call the Poison Control Center at. Describe the symptoms and the plant. If you are very dizzy, racing your heart, hallucinating or fainting, call the emergency services and tell them what happened.