Common medicinal and poisonous plants of Uzbekistan
About 4500 species of higher plants grow in Uzbekistan, and many of them are medicinal. Mint is a perennial herb of ditch banks; it contains menthol and essential oils, smells pleasant and is used for colds and airway complaints. Rose hip is a wild rose; its fruit is rich in vitamin C and strengthens the body in winter and spring. Syrup against cough is made from the rhizome of liquorice. Harmal (isiriq) is a perennial herb of steppes and valleys; although used in folk medicine, it contains powerful substances, and it must never be drunk or burned for smoke on your own. Aloe is a houseplant with juicy leaves. Even a medicinal plant can poison if overused, so use it only on the advice of a doctor or pharmacist. Nature also has poisonous plants, often with beautiful flowers and a pleasant smell: castor bean (its seeds are very poisonous), thorn apple (all parts poisonous), henbane, and the poisonous buttercup (leaf sap irritates skin and eyes). So never pick, handle or taste an unfamiliar plant outdoors. If someone is poisoned by a plant, tell an adult at once and have an ambulance called (103); do not try to make the person vomit on your own.
Two-column table: “Medicinal plants” (name, part used, for what) and “Poisonous plants” (name, features, danger). Then write “Safety in nature” rules on a poster: 1) never taste unknown plants, berries or mushrooms; 2) do not pick them; 3) if you touched one, wash with soap; 4) if sap gets in the eyes, rinse with plenty of water and tell an adult; 5) in case of poisoning call 103. Safety: real poisonous plant samples are not brought into class; only pictures are used.