Jimson Weed Carries Some Suspect Effects
June 19th, 2009 by Rick
Due to a recent overdose from jimson weed seeds by three teens in Spokane, another hallucinogenic plant has been put on the radar. Datura stramonium, a member of the nightshade family, has foul-smelling leaves, prickly fruit and purple or white trumpet-shaped flowers that often grow wild, up to seven feet tall, in the United States.
Spokeswoman Julie Graham, for the Spokane Regional Health District said:
People should be wary of jimson weed’s toxicity.
Never heard of jimson weed? Apparently it has many slang names:
- augushka
- ditch weed
- stinkweed
- loco weed
- Korean morning glory
- Jamestown weed
- thorn apple
- angel’s trumpet
- devil’s trumpet
- Beelzebub’s Twinkie (haha)
- devil’s snare
- devil’s seed
- mad hatter
- crazy tea
The Navajo had a little folklore with the plant:
Eat a little, and go to sleep. Eat some more, and have a dream. Eat some more, and don’t wake up.
Medical experts say:
The plant’s seeds, leaves and flowers are dangerous and should not be eaten, smoked or brewed into a tea.
Apparently the health problems it generates leaves some cause for concern:
- extreme dilation of the pupil
- flushed, warm and dry skin
- dry mouth
- urinary retention
- slowing or stopping of intestinal movement
- jerky movements
A jimson weed overdose could lead to hypothermia, a coma or even seizures. Already there have been deaths linked to this plant’s use.
The Absinthe Mystique
October 20th, 2008 by Perry
What has been historically known as an apothecary’s potent brew or a mystical potion with mind-altering effects, absinthe has recently come under scientific study.
Trying to put to rest rumors of past chemical ingredients, scientists analyzed more than a dozen old bottles from the 1900’s and earlier to see if the ingredients had changed. Scientists found that not much has changed in the drink that was just legalized again in some parts of the U.S., and in the European Union.
The ingredients that fuck you up are the same ones that did the job 200 years ago, the 140-proof rating which is about 70 percent alcohol.
Great, Now They Tell Me
October 15th, 2008 by Perry
A recent study with brain imaging shows that teens that abstain from marijuana use, have brains that are “working harder” than their peers who toke.
Per the article:
[A presentation] titled, “Neuroimaging Marijuana Use and its Effects on Cognitive Function,” suggests that chronic, heavy marijuana use during adolescence – a critical period of ongoing brain development – is associated with poorer performance on thinking tasks, including slower psychomotor speed and poorer complex attention, verbal memory and planning ability.
My biggest problem with the study is that for all we know about how the brain works mechanically with neurochemicals, we still have a limited understanding about how it actually functions. So how can they actually prove any of it.
Although if you look at my high school yearbook, it makes a lot of sense…
