1. Familiarize Yourself With Poisonous Plants
Knowledge is the best means of prevention, and numerous field guides can provide information about poisonous plants in your area. Learn the names of local poisonous plants and how to identify them. That means leaves, seeds and berries in addition to the plants themselves. If you have plants in your home and poisoning is a possibility, teach children and pets to stay away from them. Label your indoor plants: if they are swallowed and you have to call for help, the people at the poison center can better prescribe a cure if they know what the plant is.
2. Don't Eat Any Wild-Growing Plants
Children don't know the difference between edible berries and poisonous ones. Mushrooms may also look tempting, but can be extremely toxic. Sadly, grown-ups don't always learn those lessons as well as they should. Don't eat any plants growing in the wild, even if you think they're safe, and teach your children not to eat them either. Cooking a plant doesn't always remove the poisons in it, and wild animals can eat some plants that are poisonous to us. If you wish to use edible wild-growing plants in your recipes, you can buy herbs and seeds from a store and grow them in your garden without risking a trip to the emergency room.
3. Avoid Showing Bare Skin When You Go Hiking
Some plants like poison oak and poison ivy spread toxins on the skin when you brush past them. You can avoid that by wearing long sleeved shirts, long pants, sturdy shoes and socks when you go hiking. If you plan on handling wild plants, wear gloves that will protect you. If you have plants like poison oak near your home, teach your children what they look like and make sure they know how to avoid them.
4. Watch Out for Smoke From Poisonous Plants
Smoke from burning plants can cause irritation of the skin and eyes. Stay away from burning plants and don't inhale any of the smoke. If you're burning wild plants for whatever reason, wear proper protection over your nose and mouth.
