Silver Needles

[Pang]

For alkl of you who love to eat wild and foraging berrys, a silver needle could be a life saver for some of you. Silver needles were used by the Chinese to check for poison and toxic substances. In ancient China eunuchs would insert silver needles into the food before it weas served to the Emperor.

Just a tip for you bushcrafters, you might want to get a silver needle into you kit. From my knowledge silver needles were used in China to detect poisons and toxics. You might want to use this to check berrys and wild veggies.

The rule is to insert the needle into the food, and if the needle turns black that its poisonous.

 

[JonnyP]

For alkl of you who love to eat wild and foraging berrys, a silver needle could be a life saver for some of you. Silver needles were used by the Chinese to check for poison and toxic substances. In ancient China eunuchs would insert silver needles into the food before it weas served to the Emperor.

Just a tip for you bushcrafters

How does sticking a silver needle into a berry tell you if it is poisonous or not..? Do poisons taint the silver or sommit like that...

 

[Pang]

well i dont know the science but i know it works, as you all may kjnow silver has alot of aplications in medicine. IN chinese medicine a silver needle is used to test for poisons as th epoison reacts with the needle and turns the needle black.

 

[British Red]

I have no idea Jon - I'd like to see some peer reviewed scientific papers on it personally.

However the one thing I am certain of - I'll be the emperor if we are going to try it out - you can satisfy the other role!

Red

 

[Toddy]

The only thing I know of that might be edible that turns silver black almost straight away is egg.
How does it work on berries?
I'm (probably) the only person on the forum who actually has silver needles ( got gold and bronze ones too) so I'm prepared to give it a shot if you like.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[British Red]

Sorry Pang, but I must warn people that there is absolutely no basis in scientific fact for this at all - poisons take all sorts of forms and far from all of them would turn silver black. Even I know enough chemistry to know that.

It may well be true that some poisons turn silver black - but its not a definitive test and I would hate anyone to think it was

Red

 

[Pang]

no problem, it's just one of the many tests i would recommend to anyone in a survival situation to help eliminate suspected food sources, not something to rely on

 

[Eric_Methven]

Problem is, how many people who find themselves in a survival situation are going to have a silver needle about their person?

Silver does have antiseptic qualities though. In days gone by, when babies were teething, their mother's would often let them chew on a spoon to help their teeth break through. The privileged and upper class children would often be given a spoon of silver to munch on and the antiseptic properties of the silver helped to ward off disease in these kids. That's where the saying 'Born with a silver spoon in your mouth' comes from.

Eric

 

[sleeperman]

This story probably refers to the emperors food being deliberately poisoned, which may
be a different scenario as regards to the quantity of poison involved, but i`m no expert so
i could be talking complete b%&&';'@s.

 

[Pang]

The only thing I know of that might be edible that turns silver black almost straight away is egg.
How does it work on berries?
I'm (probably) the only person on the forum who actually has silver needles ( got gold and bronze ones too) so I'm prepared to give it a shot if you like.

cheers,
Toddy

Yeah it would be great, this silver needle thing is just something from my culture. From history documents in chinese history several a time was silver needles used to uncover plots as well as used in chinese autopsies in the past to identify the cause of death. This has been adopted in Korea, but i dont know about other countries....

I thought this might be a interesting topic.

p.s. by no means am i telling people that this is 100% reliable!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Toddy]

Okay then, now I need some known to be poisonous veggies and berries. The berries are going to be difficult at this time of year, but we could give it a shot on bluebell bulbs and uncooked lesser celandine tubers.
Any other ideas anyone?

cheers,
Toddy

 

[British Red]

Seeds of a yew should be pretty indicative Toddy - should still be some about (there are here)

Buttercup roots?

Still some Dogs Mercury about

Those three should be a good test

Really need some edibles too for a control.........

Carrots?

Red

 

[fishy1]

Sorry Pang, but I must warn people that there is absolutely no basis in scientific fact for this at all - poisons take all sorts of forms and far from all of them would turn silver black. Even I know enough chemistry to know that.

It may well be true that some poisons turn silver black - but its not a definitive test and I would hate anyone to think it was

Red

Using this will kill you. Fact. Don't use it, full stop.

 

[Toddy]

No worries, we're just curious now.
I'm wondering if cyanide would turn the siver black?
If so, that would explain the stories from China.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[British Red]

Same thought occured to me Toddy - hence thinking of trying Yew seeds. They have an alkoloid similar to cyanide IIRC?

 

[Toddy]

Hmmm, and so do apple pips and cherry bark and bitter almonds.
Good ideas on the plants Red, no Dog's Mercury around me though.

The issue with cyanide is interesting; we can actually eat the stuff if done so very carefully and correctly. In some cultures it's believed to encourage thick, shiny hair growth.
Unfortunately over time it leaves the skin very marked with liver spots too and there's always the ever present risk of getting things wrong and dieing a horrible death.

Isn't vanity a funny thing

cheers,
Toddy

 

[British Red]

Hmmmmm what else.........

Laburnum seeds?

What about any ragwort - thats a contact poison so a rub would do it?

Lords & Ladies of course but too late for that........


My Delphiniums have early growth - they are pretty nasty - or what about some daffs? Mine are budding all over

Juniper foliage up your way


Tell you what would be any easy berry thats nasty - privet!


Hmmmm best stop now I sound like Lucretia Borgia

Oh - yeah vanity is dead weird - when I see what some people do these days let alone in older cultures (shudders). The one advantage to being born ugly like me - theres nothing to worry about getting worse

Red

 

[bikething]

Really need some edibles too for a control.........

Carrots?

Red

I'm not sure which category sprouts would come under..

 

[British Red]

The needle dissolves

 

[Humpback]

Surely the silver needle is used by the Emperor. He would stick it in the food taster to see how poisoned he was.
As Confuscus (sp) said: You go first.
Alan