Has anyone used anything odd to get their blood sugar level up in an emergency while in the middle of nowhere? If so, what did you use? I know about wild berries and all, but any suggestions on sugar sources in the wild that are easy and quick to find?

I guess I'm a redneck because::

Levi Garrett actually saved my life one day. Out away from anywhere camoflauging a duck blind on the TN River, my blood sugar went down and I started shaking real bad. We were miles away from our boat launch ramp and the truck and then miles away from anywhere to get anything. I only had a pouch of chewing tobacco on me. I took a chew and the licorice boosted me up and we finished the job. That was the turning point for me about 8 years ago and I started looking into being equipped and prepared from then on.

I watched a survival video produced in Sweden in which the host purposefully goes without food for most of the trip. At one point he tests his blood sugar, then brews some spruce tea, and tests his glucose levels once more. The results were surprising... To me at least. His blood glucose levels improved.

You can find the videos at The Swedish Wilderness Survival Project Site

On a side note, I believe all of the videos are worth watching, even when you have to read the subtitles. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Glucose pills or gel works great. Orange juice is probably the best. There is an injection called Glucagon which releases glucose stored in the liver (assuming that you are not malnutirioned and your liver still has some).

You've got insuline and glucagon that can make glucose from glycogen and the other way around, right? I never keep that straight! <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Alpha and Beta cells with Alpha producing Glucagon and Betha Producing Insulin...

Insulin is a carrier that brings sugar into the cell while Glucagon "makes" liver release/convert fat into simple sugar. In case of low blood sugar (most cases) there is pleanty of insulin to carry sugar intot he cell but there is not enough sugar. So shooting insulin would be wrong (unless you have pleanty of sugar in your blood but no insulin - diabetes). Glucagon delivers sugar so does simple IV with dextorse or glass of OJ.

ANd to answer your question directly: glycogen stores glucose which would be released by administration (artificial: injection or natural: pancreas) of glucagon.

We're talking low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Your pancreas in this case produce too much insulin to regulate blood sugar as I understand. Not enough people take it seriously and wear their pancreas out by not regulating their diet and end up with diabetes.

I am just looking for info on natural or emergency sources of glucose or fructose or sugar or any tricks to know, in the case I don't have anything with me like glucose tablets or gel. The licorice in chewing tobacco was an example. Any more ideas? Just equipping what little brains I have to survive if this happens again.

You could check edible plant books for common plants that are high in sugar. Some are obvious, for example berries or perhaps starchy roots like cattail. Others might be surprising, such as wild onions, which like all onions have more sugar than you would expect from the taste. I'd be interested in what you find out!

Steve

Honey.

I used to carry a small vial of honey in my kit when I went day hiking, just in case.

I guess you could find it in the wild(if you don't mind the bee stings). <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Thanks Steve and Porkchop, I'll have to make this a research project, that's a good idea.

That's an iidea. Sometimes you can find it in packets from Heinz, like ketchup. Ignore the use by date, honey never goes bad.