At 7 vs. Wild, the community requested more insights regarding flora and fauna. However, at a crucial point, this insight was missing, and now an expert clarifies.
Who is this expert? Survival expert and biologist Joe Vogel discusses the current season of 7 vs. Wild on YouTube. The expert has now published a video (via YouTube) in which he explains how contestant Ann-Katrin “AffeaufBike” Benedixen (24) got poisoned on 7 vs. Wild.
One of the participants in Season 3 is Twitch streamer Jens “Knossi” Knossalla. You can see more about him in our video:
Contestant makes a mix-up that could have cost her
What kind of mix-up happened? As the expert explains in his video, the contestant likely confused the “Western Red Cedar” tree, known in German as the giant arborvitae, with the cedar tree. However, caution is advised here, as the tree has nothing to do with cedars despite its name.
The giant arborvitae belongs to the Thujas, a completely different plant genus. The expert points out this fact in his video.
In an episode of 7 vs. Wild, Ann-Katrin Benedixen rubbed herself with the fresh branches of the tree. She also emphasized in the episode that the indigenous people used to rub themselves with the branches to mask their scent in the wilderness.
Why is the mix-up so dangerous? While according to experts, the tips of cedar trees could indeed be eaten, the situation with Thuja seems to be different. The plant is classified by the expert as one of the “highly toxic plants” and should definitely not come in contact with the skin.
Besides the girls’ team, other contestants also apparently slept on branches of the tree, with the expert showing Kevin “Papaplatte” Teller and Dominik “Reeze” Reezmann as examples.
Contact with the plant can trigger a range of illness symptoms. The expert states: “Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, bleeding, cramps, diarrhea with severe pain, fluid retention in the legs, liver and kidney damage, and lastly paralysis of the central nervous system.”
Moreover, according to the expert, additional symptoms may occur if the plant is consumed. If in contact with the skin, it can also lead to skin irritations and eczema, according to the sources from which Joe Vogel quotes. The expert states that the danger level is very high
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You can watch Joe Vogel’s video here. The section on symptoms can be found from minute 18.
Why does the expert make this video? The biologist explained in his video in detail how to avoid such a mix-up. The reason for the video becomes clear in the comments of the video, where Hannah Assil, the team partner of Ann-Katrin Benedixen, chimed in.
The two discussed the video a bit, and the expert explained that he missed the necessary book binding at that point that would make the audience aware that the plant is very highly toxic.
According to his comment, the comments on Reddit are already piling up, saying that a Thuja is not that toxic, and you can also drink it as tea. Joe Vogel writes: “For someone who has been dealing with poisonous plants for a long time, this is absolute nonsense!”
The expert Joe Vogel often comments on 7 vs. Wild and clarifies things that remain unanswered in the show. Recently, he addressed the salty drinking water situation with Fritz Meinecke, which caused the team to be eliminated. In our article, you can find out what he has to say about it.
