“Berry Rule” Toxicity Guideline

(Modern Survival.org) – What is the “Berry Rule” Toxicity Guideline?

Eat White Berries
Avoid Colored Berries
Which Berries to Eat
Eat Shiny Berries

Answer: Which Berries to Eat. Here’s why…

In a survival situation, food can become hard to find. If you’re lost in the woods and hungry, finding a bush covered in berries can be a blessing — or a curse.

Unfortunately, many berries are actually poisonous to humans. It goes without saying that a survival situation will be far more complicated if you get food poisoning on top of starvation and dehydration. This is why it’s so important to learn how to identify a “good” berry versus a “bad” berry now before your life depends on it.

The Rule of Thumb

To know which berries are more likely to be safe to consume, here is a little rhyme to commit to memory:

“White and yellow will kill a fellow. Eating red could be good, could be dead. Purple and blue are good for you.”

Statistically, 90% of yellow and white berries are poisonous, 50% of red berries are poisonous, and only 10% of blue, black, and purple berries are poisonous. 99% of aggregated berries, which can be recognized by the packed clusters of fruits (like mulberry or raspberry) are edible, though, which makes them the safest bet.

If you are in doubt that a berry is safe, don’t eat it. You can survive up to 3 weeks without food, but consuming a poisonous plant can reduce that time dramatically if help isn’t nearby.

For more information on how to survive when lost in the woods, check out our article here.

~Here’s to Your Survival!