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lily of the valleyrowanberry? 1Humans are not herbivores. Problems with poisonous wild plantstherefore arise mostly when fruits ripen and colourful berriesattract people to taste them. This attractive appearance is theplant’s advertising trick to spread its seeds. Eating poisonousberries generally does not cause harm to birds and animals.Seeds pass through their digestive tracts undamaged and arecapable of germinating in a new place with favourable growthconditions.There are no universally applicable tricks to distinguishbetween poisonous and non-poisonous berries. Edibility can beascertained only by knowing the properties of the particularplant and berry, and only berries from a familiar edible plantshould be put in your mouth. Fallen berries can be easily mixedup and cause much mischief. Remember that poisonous berriescan taste good.herb Parisbilberry? 2Most of the calls made to the Poisoning Information Line inrelation to eating plants or berries concern the flowers andberries of lily of the valley or the berries of herb Paris beingmixed up with rowan berries or bilberries.Berries of mezeron, Europeanyew and baneberry are verypoisonous as well.Poisoning Information Centre16662Symptoms of a light poisoning form eating poisonous plants generally include headache andvertigo, vomiting and stomach problems. The patient should be given warm water to drinkand vomiting should be induced. Charcoal pills are helpful. In the event of contact withpoisonous plant sap, the affected body part should be washed with abundant water. It isalways useful to consult the experts of the Poisoning Information Centre. In the event of asevere poisoning, call the ambulance.? 1 - rowanberry? 2 - bilberrybaneberry mezereon European yewEstonian Museum of Natural History•Dangerous Nature: Myths & RealityPLANTS•eATING 17