Magnolias

Nightshades

©2007 Clove Garden

Datura - [Jimson Weed, Devil's weed, Devil's cucumber, Thorn-apple, Pricklyburr, Angel's trumpet and Devil's trumpet, Datura stramonium, also similar Datura wrightii]
A common weed here in Southern California, this plant is far more deadly than the Deadly Nightshade. It's mind altering powers are so awsome even people heavily into "recreational substances" have generally shunned it. All parts of the plant are highly toxic.

Unlike psilocybin or LSD, which cause sensory distortion, datura is a true hallucinogen, transporting the user entirely into another reality with little or nothing of this reality to hang on to. An additional problem is that there is little margin between the effective dose and a fatal dose. Persons who have heard of this plant but not studied its use thoroughly often take a dose and find no effect - so they take a second dose of similar size and die.   Details.

Deadly Nightshade - [Atropa belladonna]

Native to Europe, North Africa and Western Asia, this is one of the most toxic plants found in the Western Hemisphere. All parts of the plant are highly toxic, but I've read they were used to make pies in Mideval Europe by long cooking which destroys the toxins. Photo by Kurt Stueber distributed under GNU Free Documentation License v1.2 or later.

Tobacco - [Nicotiana tabacum]

A nightshade native to the Americas but now cultivated in temperate climates worldwide. The leaves contain unusually high amounts of the toxic alkaloid Nicotine, considered one of the most addictive drugs known to man. Because the delivery systems for this drug, cigars, cigarettes, pipes, chews, etc. are traditional (natives of the Americas started smoking tobacco cigars over 2000 years ago) it is legal.

The tobacco industry promotes tobacco delivery systems in many subtile, not so subtile and incidious ways resulting in a huge base of addicts. Being legal, tobacco products can be, and are, taxed up the wazoo because the addicts will pay almost any price for them. This assures that tobacco will not be made illegal, though the health costs may exceed the revenue.

Wolfberry - [Fructus Lycii (pharmacology); Gouqizi (China); Jizi (Singapore); Kuko no mi, Kuko no kajitsu (Japan); Gugija (Korea); dre-tsher-mai-dre-bu (Tibet); Gao Gee (Thailand); Duke of Argyll's tea tree (UK); Tibetan Goji, Himalayan Goji (health food stores); Matrimony Vine; Lycium barbarum & Lycium chinense]

Native to somewhere around Turkey and Eastern Europe wolfberries are now grown worldwide and particularly in China, the main commercial supplier. The berry tastes similar to dried cranberries but is more tart and tastes somewhat of tomato, not surprising since tomatoes are also nightshades.

"Tibetan / Himalayan Goji" products are promoted by "health food" outlets - even though Goji isn't harvested in that region, and any "organic" claims are also false - but when has the health food industry ever checked in with reality? Berries from the same Chinese sources can be purchased at a much lower price at Asian markets. They do have antioxidant properties and may be helpful in preventing vision problems.Details and Cooking
Photo by Sten Porse distributed under Creative Commons Attibution 2.5/2.0/1.0.

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