Bruce Banner (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
zen_en_vert) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
hadriel2016-06-27 11:36 am
zen_en_vert) wrote in hadriel2016-06-27 11:36 am
Entry tags:
video- don't you put it in your mouth
Hello, Hadriel.
We have a garden now, and Sorrow has made comments to the effect that the food in it might disagree with us, so I'm going to talk to you about how to test for poisons in plants.
First of all, to those of you who aren't human, let me apologize, because I won't be able to help much with your physiology. But for those of you who are-
We need to catalogue and name everything we can that's growing in there, and then identify the plant species that no one knows. Once we have the unidentified species, each one needs to be assigned a volunteer. The testing period takes several days, and if you do two at once and get a reaction, you won't know which are poisonous.
The first step is to test for contact toxicity- that is, touch the leaves and stems and fruit juices of the plant to your skin, and see if it poisons you that way. Plants that provoke that kind of reaction aren't generally safe to eat. You take a few days to see if a reaction develops, and then begin by cooking small portions of the plant, and holding it in your mouth for a few minutes- three, and then later fifteen, testing to see if it provokes tingling, swelling, or any kind of reaction.
No one should try to test any plant with milky sap, white berries, or any kind of pod. You never want thorns, spurs, on the plant itself or on grain heads. If you get an almond scent or a bitter taste, stop eating, and just to play it safe, avoid plants with leaves in clusters of threes.
I've got a small supply of activated charcoal in the clinic. Let me know if you can help. Nothing is ripe yet, but we can begin classification and contact testing immediately.
Thank you, everyone.
We have a garden now, and Sorrow has made comments to the effect that the food in it might disagree with us, so I'm going to talk to you about how to test for poisons in plants.
First of all, to those of you who aren't human, let me apologize, because I won't be able to help much with your physiology. But for those of you who are-
We need to catalogue and name everything we can that's growing in there, and then identify the plant species that no one knows. Once we have the unidentified species, each one needs to be assigned a volunteer. The testing period takes several days, and if you do two at once and get a reaction, you won't know which are poisonous.
The first step is to test for contact toxicity- that is, touch the leaves and stems and fruit juices of the plant to your skin, and see if it poisons you that way. Plants that provoke that kind of reaction aren't generally safe to eat. You take a few days to see if a reaction develops, and then begin by cooking small portions of the plant, and holding it in your mouth for a few minutes- three, and then later fifteen, testing to see if it provokes tingling, swelling, or any kind of reaction.
No one should try to test any plant with milky sap, white berries, or any kind of pod. You never want thorns, spurs, on the plant itself or on grain heads. If you get an almond scent or a bitter taste, stop eating, and just to play it safe, avoid plants with leaves in clusters of threes.
I've got a small supply of activated charcoal in the clinic. Let me know if you can help. Nothing is ripe yet, but we can begin classification and contact testing immediately.
Thank you, everyone.
Voice
Action
[It takes him a bit before he reaches the orchard, his house being a fair distance away as far as Hadriel goes. He's a fairly distinctive sight himself: disheveled white hair, tiny frame . . . and practically swimming in an obviously oversized coat, the upturned collar hiding the bottom half of his face from view.
[He recognizes the man easily enough. Despite how small Near is and how ridiculous he probably looks in the too-large coat, there is a calm self-assurance in his approach. And by the time he speaks, he's already looking at the nearest tree instead of his company.] Hello.
Action
[Bruce says, glancing up, and nodding. He's a little taken aback- but then, he's met some weird people here. It pays not to be too openly startled by anything.]
I'm Doctor Banner- Bruce is fine.
Action
[But his eyes are dark and wide, watching the tree impassively.] Doctor Banner. [He's formal. Sort of.] I am called Near.
As to my aid in this matter, even touching the fruit isn't strictly necessary for me, much less eating it. I will be able to identify what's harmful, but not be able to name the harmful compound itself. [You'd think his tone would inflect here and there when he speaks. It doesn't. It all comes out in a soft, monotonous drawl.]
Action
[He's more than interested to know.]
We got as far as this- which I think is actually a common rutabega, but I was just about to cut into it to check the coloration in order to be sure.
Action
To be perfectly honest, it's magic. A minor spell specifically designed to detect poisons. [A useful trick, picked up from his time in a world not his own.]
Action
[And now he's incredibly eager.]
Action
[If nothing shows up on his scans, then he would understand wishing to test things in more conventional ways just to help solidify the accuracy of the results. In fact, he would expect that of anyone intelligent.
[He holds his hand over the produce in question, and whispers a few words under his breath. And he feels the spell take effect, but there is no visible effect to suggest anything has happened.] This one is safe.
[He says it with absolute certainty, even if it appears that nothing has happened.]
no subject
[He needs to check, first.]
Let's prove you can identify something dangerous, before we decide this is a true negative.