As the weather gets warmer, wild vegetables are gradually coming to market. Relevant authorities are reminding citizens that while wild vegetables are nutritious, they should be consumed with caution to prevent poisoning.
Recently, wild vegetables such as toon and mountain celery have become common items in many citizens' shopping baskets. Some citizens believe that wild vegetables are free from pollution, nutritious, fresh and delicious, and are beneficial to health when eaten regularly. However, reporters learned from the Rongcheng Center for Disease Control and Prevention that although natural wild vegetables are tasty, the places where they are picked should be chosen carefully. Wild vegetables from mountains, wastelands, and other areas are less likely to be contaminated by chemical fertilizers and pesticides and can be eaten. In contrast, wild vegetables growing near chemical plants, roads, densely populated areas, urban garbage dumps, or polluted rivers can easily cause food poisoning.
Experts remind that after the May Day holiday, wild celery, wild onions, lamb's quarters, purslane, and wild garlic will appear in large quantities. These wild vegetables all contain substances that can cause allergies and may trigger allergic reactions in people with special constitutions. In addition, most wild vegetables are cold in nature and bitter in taste, which can help reduce internal heat, but overconsumption can damage the spleen and stomach, causing mild poisoning symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting. For example, eating too much wild shepherd's purse can lead to a weak spleen and stomach, as well as blood stasis and qi stagnation. Therefore, regardless of the type of wild vegetable, it is best to just taste them for novelty and not to consume them long-term or in large quantities. If symptoms such as body-wide itching, swelling, rashes, or subcutaneous bleeding occur after eating wild vegetables, you should stop eating them immediately and seek medical attention.