The survivalist mindset is all about being prepared for tough scenarios which are well beyond any normal situation. In everyday life, our issues and problems are very rarely connected to our physical safety and wellbeing. That is why thinking about the very drastic problems, like situations where a person’s life could be in danger might seem hard. Yet, that is the key difference between a regular person and one that harbors the prepper mentality – the second one is ready and willing to have contingency plans.
A great example of that is the issue of having access to drinking water. In normal life, we have taps and faucets everywhere you go, where the water literally pours freely out of the walls. There are bottles of water in every supermarket, restaurant, gas pump and almost any other place of business opened to the public. However, in a drastic scenario, one can imagine surroundings where there is no drinking water whatsoever. This might seem strange with things like rain and morning dew, but the truth is that in many places, free-flowing drinking water is nowhere to be found.
Naturally, even in those circumstances, water is still crucial for the human body. Even without food, an average person can continue living for weeks before their body begins to fail. Simply put, we have ways of storing food for long-term absence of it. The same is not true for water. The amounts we store are minuscule and they are used up quickly. Without water, the human body begins to shut down fast and after only a couple of days, the inevitable happens. Because of this, a survivalist must know how to find water even in environments where there might not be any. The problem of finding water is not just connected with deserts. Many other locations might be devoid of running water or have only sources that are a bacteriological danger. In a survival setting, drinking that type of water before purifying it somehow could be just as deadly as not having any water at all.
However, like always with preparedness knowledge, this situation can be avoided through the use of some crucial botanical know-how. No matter how arid an area might be, plants will have ways of both accessing water and storing it. A prepper with the right knowledge will be able to reach that water and potentially escape a life-threatening situation. Here are some of the proven ways how to get drinking water from plants and trees.
Getting Water from Roots of Trees
The roots have a lot of water content in them. This water can be accessed by digging the roots up, removing their bark and cutting them into shavings. These should then be pulped with smooth rocks until they are a consistent mush. From it, water can seep out using gravity and a canteen with a hole in it. Of course, the content of water in the roots of different tree species is not uninformed. That is why, for example in Australia, bloodwood, desert oak and water tree all provide a high content of water. However, all trees should have at least some content of water in them.
Getting Water from Bamboo
The bamboo plant is incredibly versatile and getting water from it is one additional thing they can offer to people. Most of its water is stored in the streams that are located between bamboo joints. It is accessed by finding thick stems which sounds like it has water in it after it is shaken. On it, a notch should be cut some 3 to 4 inches above the bottom of a joint. From it, water will run freely so it should be immediately collected or drank. The same water will be completely fresh and it can be used without any fear of getting bacterial diseases.
Getting Water from Cacti
Cacti are famous as the tough residents of arid and desert landscapes. They do store a lot of fluid but not all of them are safe for human consumption. In fact, a lot of cacti are very poisonous. The Saguaro cactus is a great example of the dangerous variety that can be found in arid regions of Mexico and North America. Also, cacti that have to provide a milky sap should be avoided, except the Barrel cactus, which is safe to use. It, just like other varieties should be used by being cut so that their inner flesh is exposed. It houses the water and a person can either suck the liquid out directly or allow it to collect in a container. This is the so-called bleeding process where the cacti plant survives to be used later on as well. A more destructive method is to cut the cacti in half and mix its interior flesh until it becomes a pulp from which water will drain out. This will produce more water but also destroy the plant at the same time.
Collecting Condensation from a Plant
Any leafy plant can be used as a means of collecting condensation from its parts. This is done by placing a plastic bag over a part of the plant, preferably one with many leaves. The bag should be placed in a spot that has a lot of direct sunlight. Being that the plant leaves engage in respiration they also emit humidity. This process is underlined by the presence of the bag and sunlight, so it will slowly being to get wet in the same environment. The water will collect on the bag as mist and then slowly trickle down to its lowest point. There a cupful can be collected after several hours, after which the bag can be taken down and the water drank. It is completely safe and immediately usable as any other freshwater out there.
With this information, anyone can find fresh water even when it seems there is none. Using these ways how to get drinking water from plants and trees, a prepper can be safe in the knowledge that water can always be located.
