The farther you get from the equator, the more you have to rely
on meat or critters for food. That said, it seemed peculiar to me that the
Waorani of the Amazon could not teach me about very many wild green
edibles. It turned out they believe that because greenery is eaten by the
small animals it will make them weak, so they stick primarily to meat,
manioc (a potato-like root), and a few fruits.
Personal Sensitivities
You may have a severe allergic reaction to a plant you’ve never before
eaten. Given this risk and the many other variables in identifying and eat-
ing wild edibles, your best bet is to know two or three that are plentiful and
easily identified for each of the world’s regions. These are listed later in
this chapter as my Top Three Wild Edibles and Top Three Critters.
The Edibility Test
IF YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO EAT WILD PLANTS that you cannot identify, you
should employ a last-ditch effort called the edibility test, which exposes
your body to the plant in slow increments.
Since the edibility test requires a lot of time and effort (and poten-
tial risk), make sure there is enough of the plant available to make the test
worthwhile. Note that it does not work with all poisonous plants! Here are
the steps to follow:
Test only a single plant type at a time; don’t eat anything else during the test
period.
Rub the plant on a sensitive part of your body such as your wrist; wait
45 minutes to an hour for signs of any adverse effects like nausea, hives,
dizziness, or shortness of breath.
If there’s no negative effect, take a small part of the plant and prepare it the
way you plan on eating it.
Before eating, touch a small part of the prepared plant to your outer lip to test
for burning, tingling, or itching.
If there is no reaction after five minutes, place the plant on your tongue. Hold
it there for 15 minutes.(^184) | Survive!