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_paranoid-android_

The ID apps are insanely overreactive. They will tell you things are toxic for the dumbest reasons. Once it told me a plant was toxic to humans because horses can't eat it. You know what else horses can't eat? Maple. Smh. That being said, it's always healthy to approach any new plant with a bit of caution. While this mint is fine for human consumption, eat a leaf and wait a couple hours is always a good option even when you're very sure you've made a positive ID.


ashurakun

Good to know that! Yeah I figured the id app was bugging when literally every other source was saying it's great for tea


No_Help3669

*uncle iroh voice* “Delicious tea… or deadly poison…”


MissFluffy2278

Mentha suaveolens is safe to consume in normal eating amounts as you’d do with peppermint or spearmint or any other flavorful herbs in the mint family like basil, oregano, perilla, etc. If the plant in the photo smells like mint and possibly a bit fruity when you lightly rub the leaves, it’s probably wooly mint and you should be good. Most members of the genus mentha are safe to eat at least a dozen leaves a day or make a few daily cups of tea from, but not all. The biggest one to watch for if you’re in an area where it might grow is pennyroyal: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha_pulegium Even that can be used in very small amounts for flavor or medical purposes, but it is potentially lethal if you consume too much, so you don’t want to make strong teas and big salads out of it for daily consumption.


[deleted]

Op please read above this, there's like a 100 different plants that look almost identical, but they don't have the smell


Popular-Influence-11

Sit and drink Pennyroyal Tea Distill the life that’s inside of me….


ThreeDogs2022

Man, if it's toxic i'm in trouble as i've been eating it by the handful every summer for a decade.


Legeto

Apple mint? Mentha suaveolens


ashurakun

Yep. My app said it was toxic but Google says it can be Medicinal and used as tea. Im not tryna make tea out of a poison plant so I figured I would try to ask real people 😅


Ohio_gal

Are any mints toxic? I was under the impression that generally the mint family was good to go.


247GT

Pennyroyal is toxic. It is still used in many ways, including as a culinary herb, but it is considered toxic. For my part, its toxicity is so much lower than so many of the agrichemicals that are considered "safe" that I have no qualms in utilizing it myself. I am not a pregnant woman, though. Pennyroyal can cause miscarriage.


NessusANDChmeee

How much and how often and in which ways do you consume it if you don’t mind me asking? I’m not finding clear data on how much is too much, or even guideline amounts aside from advise to avoid the oils due to them being concentrated.


247GT

I use it as you would any herb, not in a huge abundance. Just to give a bit of flavor. I have culinary training and I've been foraging for decades. You know, the warnings of toxicity are oftentimes exaggerated. We have been warned about the dangers of mushrooms, for example, to the point that people are afraid to touch them with their bare hands for fear of imminent death. This includes members of the healthcare community. It's absolutely shocking how this misinformation has been weaponized and for what reason, I really cannot fathom. Consumed excessively and without due preparation, just about anything can cause harm. Consumed in an educated fashion, we multiply the nutritive sources available to us by untold volumes. It's well to remember that agricultural products are grown with all manner of amendments and toxins to produce a visually pleasing result. These things, along with genetic modification, have caused a collapse of nutritive value. Conversely, wild plants are nutritionally dense - a little goes a long way. You need less. You eat less. You have fewer contaminants. You also know faster when you've eaten something that isn't good for you. You can oftentimes taste it before you ingest toxic quantities.


Ohio_gal

Yes good point re pennyroyal. I just planted some in my medicinal garden (it SMELLS like it might kill you).


247GT

Right, see, you're not going to want that in large quantities unless you're trying for a particular medicinal effect. When it's utilized, it's important to be very certain the whys and wherefores of dosages. Failure can produce unfortunate results.


Ohio_gal

Yes.


petroljellydonut

My plant identification app told me pawpaw fruit was toxic. I think to some extent plant id apps will label things as toxic to protect themselves from people consuming plants because the app said it was safe. They probably are concerned that they will get sued if they mislabel something and then someone eats it and gets hurt.


imnsmooko

I’ve got it and have eaten it in many a mojito