Sean- son of Lifer
I miss my Dad
Rhubarb leaves are spectacularly poisonous. are very high in oxalic acid, which quickly causes kidney failure in humans. About 25 grams of pure oxalic acid is the average amount needed to kill a human. That said, rhubarb leaves aren’t pure oxalic acid, and it would take around 11 pounds of the leaves to secure that much. But still! I’d stay away. Like the rhubarb, the part of the asparagus plant that we love—the young stems—are perfectly safe to eat. But the asparagus hides a deceptive, nasty secret: Its fruit, which are bright red berries, are toxic to humans. Just a handful can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Cashews are another delicious product that should never, ever be eaten raw. (When you buy them, they’ve usually been roasted.) Native to the Amazon, the cashew is not really a nut, but rather a seed that protrudes oddly from the bottom of a fruit (also edible, though rarely seen outside the tropics) called the cashew fruit. You may have noticed that cashews are never found in their shell as almonds or peanuts are, and that’s because when raw, they’re covered with anacardic acid, closely related to the acid that makes poison ivy so irritating. It’s much worse when you eat it. Potatoes, Only the tuber is edible: the roots, leaves, stems, flowers and especially berries are toxic. Occasionally people are poisoned by mistaking potato berries for green tomatoes. Even green parts of the tuber (and a tuber exposed to the sun will turn green) are toxic. You can, however, eat a tuber that is partly green if you cut away the green section.
