Are P. viridis aka chacruna fruits/berries edible or toxic?

[Mr.Kundalini]

Hi folks

Does anybody know if P. viridis aka chacruna fruits/berries are edible or toxic?
Any references supporting a definitive answer would be reassuring, lol.

[roach]

The fruits of many Psychotria species (P. involucrata Swartz, P. nudiceps Standley) are regarded as poisonous (Schultes 1969, 158; 1985).

[Mr.Kundalini]

Thanks Roach
That's a shame - the flesh tasted sweet when I broke the skin & put my tongue on it.
Is there anywhere I can read Schultes 1969, 158; 1985 online?
Otherwise do you happen to know if the referenced toxic species included viridis?

[roach]

http://books.google.ca/books?id=Rs5rAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT1939&lpg=PT1939&dq=The+fruits+of+many+Psychotria+species+(P.+involucrata+Swartz,+P.+nudiceps+Standley)+are+regarded+as+poisonous+(Schultes+1969,+158;+1985)&source=bl&ots=Fkbz-qrcI8&sig=jEzRO8fGFpkVRWHA_MWHKPBQYZU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ynnrU9m8F4yNyATmjIDYAg&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=The%20fruits%20of%20many%20Psychotria%20species%20(P.%20involucrata%20Swartz%2C%20P.%20nudiceps%20Standley)%20are%20regarded%20as%20poisonous%20(Schultes%201969%2C%20158%3B%201985)&f=false

[Wakinyan]

Okay, I just have to ask this... who in their right mind would eat viridis berries when they grow so slow and take so long to produce fruit? Perhaps if you were growing P. alba then... but even then the seeds are so small and produce such a thin amount of flesh that you wouldn't get any fruit worth while. The seeds of P. alba, P. viridis, etc. are much better left for growing new plants with a bit of genetic diversity as so many plants are simply clones produced from the leaves of their parents. If your looking for an edible fruit, I think your much better off eating the fruit from a T. iboga as there is some actual substance there to be had.

[dendro]

flowers and fruits of P. viridis are fine for brewing tea.

[Stonehenge]

Are they as good as the leaves?

[dendro]

yes, but I have only used them fresh. When dried to crispy in the oven, they still can mold quickly. My teas are all flowers, flower stems and berries now.

[Wakinyan]

You know, I've never thought of making tea of the berries as I always prized my seeds for genetic diversity versus the clones you get from growing from leaves. However, if the seeds were removed then a tea made, I'd have no problem with that idea, not that I have any problem with someone using their own seeds or any they acquire in any manner they see fit, I just couldn't see it unless there was something truly advantageous to be had from it without damaging the seeds. Definitely food for thought though and I learn a little something new each day.

[dendro]

I have hundreds of open pollinated plants already, and many thousands of flower stems on my mature plants appearing and growing continually. If I don't harvest them, they just pull energy from my commercial leaf crop. Even then, I can't harvest them all, some are too high and far to reach even from a ladder for example, and so many thousands of seeds constantly fall to the ground to start new cycles.

[Wakinyan]

Understood. It has been some time since I have lived in an area where I could grow them out like that and even then mine suffered from being bitten by the cold and had to come back from the occasional frost. I only wish I had of been more involved in making cross pollinations with the Psychotria I did have at the time to further the genetic diversity a bit more. Suffice it to say, I have been happy to see that some have made intentional crosses between the species and in time perhaps we will see some of the better hybrids hit the market if they haven't already begun to do so.

[IOPan]

beware of look alikes https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carapichea_ipecacuanha