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Stupid Idea...

Nepenthesis

Formerly known as Pineapple
It has had to cross somebody else's mind too... What would happen if you drank digestive juices of nepenthes or sarracenia or cephalotus or heliomorpha? Would your insides be digested, leading to internal bleeding, then death? What would happen?

On Science Daily I read an article about how Nepenthes digestive fluid can be used in medicines. In the article it explained how the natural fungicides/anti-bacterial stuff in the mucus of Nepenthes would be great for naturally fighting off bacterial infections. It also mentioned how natives to India have been drinking it as a general elixir to prevent bacterial infections, since a lot of India is a warm, humid jungle, perfect for bacterial infections to occur.

So what would happen? Does it taste good? Probably the stupidest idea and questions that could be posted on this board, but I'm rather curious... :blush:
 
I have a friend who repeatedly drinks the fluid out of my Nepenthes pitchers and licks all the dew off my D. b. multifidas. He's fine other than being an idiot but he was like that before he started doing this.
 
Your stomach produces digestive juices that are far more potent in digestion than CPs.
 
...and the hollow leaves are not unlike the cornucopia or Amalthea's horn; what a quantity of water a leaf is capable of containing, about a pint! taste of it - how cool and animating - limpid as the morning dew:
William Bartram - Travels 1773.

Ah Bartram. One of my heros. Yes someone thought of this over 200 years ago. But I wouldn't recommend it. Especially if there are bugs. Eew.
 
Drinking Nepenthes pitcher fluid is supposed to help with stomach aches...which makes sense. Ive tried it before just to see what its like (of course, the pitcher was closed :lol:) ... a little sour, but tastes fresh like morning dew (I had a horrid stomach ache which went away after I drank it). I wouldn't leave your tongue hanging in Nepenthes fluid...but other than that the fluids shouldn't do anything but add more digestive enzymes to your stomach. All the other species don't have as many enzymes as Nepenthes do so they are basically harmless.
 
Well if there are no bugs in it... :rolleyes:
 
In one of my nature survival books, it says you can drink the rainwater out of Sarracenia Purpurea pitchers if you can dodge all the decaying insects still inside.
 
In one of my nature survival books, it says you can drink the rainwater out of Sarracenia Purpurea pitchers if you can dodge all the decaying insects still inside.

Insects are extra protein! Nevertheless, I've been molded, through the culture in which I live, to believe that devouring insects is disgusting.
 
Just to clarify. Bartram's quote was in reference to Sarracenia. I found that whole passage about tasting what he was studying rather amusing.
Pineapple: Hehe, yeah. Let me know how that goes then.
 
  • #10
It was in either a documentary or survival show that someone said you could drink the fluid to survive and that the insects were nothing more than extra protein :)
 
  • #11
Pineapple: Hehe, yeah. Let me know how that goes then.

Gotta work up the nerve first! :crazy:

---------- Post added at 07:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:11 PM ----------

It was in either a documentary or survival show that someone said you could drink the fluid to survive and that the insects were nothing more than extra protein :)

Why would you drink carnivorous plant mucus rather than find a puddle or eat some green grass? :jester:
 
  • #12
I believe they said it was likely to be safer as a water source than just drinking from puddles or whatever that may carry pathogens and the like.
 
  • #13
Insects are extra protein! Nevertheless, I've been molded, through the culture in which I live, to believe that devouring insects is disgusting.

This.

Also, now I kind of want to take a sip of Nepenthes fluid. Even though I have now been molded to believe that it is a caustic killing soup that will lead to certain death and decay.
 
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