Eating Tempting Idaho Wild Berry Can Cause Fatal Brain Reaction

Like many states, Idaho has a great deal of toxic plants and flowers that if eaten can result in violent illness. One plant found throughout the Gem State that when budding resembles eyeballs and could prove fatal if consumed.

Picking berries to take home is something many people do when hiking in Idaho. As winter approaches, many berry-producing plants will soon go dormant until spring, and one very toxic plant that in rare cases can cause death in humans you might still find blooming for another few weeks.

The soon-to-be dormant white and red Baneberry may appear appealing but can kill someone who chooses to eat it, according to a New York Post article.

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I grew up around berry bushes. My mother used to pick them and wash them up and feed them to me as a young child. We mainly ate blackberries and raspberries, and as I grew older I'd still pick them and snack on them while on a hike or spending a day at the river. One berry that grows in red and white blooms near water in Idaho can produce life-threatening symptoms if someone mistakes it for a safe edible.

The soon-to-be dormant white and red Baneberry may appear appealing but can kill someone who chooses to eat it, according to a New York Post article. Its toxins can produce incredibly violent reactions including vomiting, cramping, and delirium, which is a chemical reaction in the brain that causes confusion, hallucinations, disorientation, and other symptoms that can prove fatal in the wild where emergency care isn't close by.