Although many plants today are considered food and remedies, some of them have a very sinister past with criminal records as long as your arm. Historically, one of the most notorious poisonous botanicals is Aconite; AKA Monkshood, devil’s helmet, wolfsbane, mother-in-laws poison.
Monkshood or devils helmet refers to the plants beautiful purple “hooded” flowers that resemble a drawn hood or helmet. All parts of this plant are extremely toxic and should be handled with care if handled at all. As gardener Nathan Greenaway learned in 2012 while tending the gardens of a sprawling estate, even the slightest contact with this plant can cause death. Although he was rushed to the hospital and doctors frantically tried to figure out what was wrong with him, it was to no avail. Nathan died 5 days later due to multiple organ failure. Unfortunately the original bloodwork was lost so the results were inconclusive. It was only after Nathan’s father carried out tireless research that the link to aconite became the apparent cause of death. Histopathologist Asmat Mustajab concluded it was “more likely than not” that Mr. Greenaway died after coming into contact with the deadly purple flowering plant. The poison, an alkaloid called aconitine paralyzes the nerves, lowers the blood pressure and eventually stops the heart. The plants toxic alkaloid works so rapidly that within hours the damage was done and within a day the poison had worked its way out of the bloodstream so any further blood tests would again prove inconclusive.
Per the book Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart:
Other documented cases of aconite poisoning include the death of Canadian actor Andre Noble who encountered Monkshood on a hiking trip in 2004. Aconitine is so powerful that Nazi scientists found it useful for making poison bullets, ancient Greek hunters used it as arrow poison to hunt wolves, thus the name wolfsbane; and its reputation as a witch’s brew from the middle-ages got it a role in the popular series Harry Potter. The emperor Claudius was said to have been poisoned by his wife with aconite in a plate of mushrooms.
I’ve found this plant growing in the wild at higher altitudes a few miles from Alma but never have attempted to harvest it, for good reason, and have never seen it growing at lower altitudes.
Poison Hemlock
The word hemlock alone seems to have a sinister ring to it. For centuries it was one of the “go to” plants for poisonous purposes. Death from poison hemlock appears to be an easy one, albeit somewhat horrifying for the unfortunate victim. The mind stays clear as the toxin acts as a paralytic working its way from the toes up to the respiratory system resulting in death. In essence, the victim witnesses their own death with a clear mind in living color. Poison hemlock is so toxic it’s reported that a quarter inch of the root can bring on demise. Tales of campers found dead from the toxic brew circulated among herbalists when I was in herb school, however, Socrates was one of the most famous cases of Hemlock poisoning.
Being the bad plant in the carrot family, it looks deceptively like carrot or parsley and is nearly identical to the Rocky Mountain plant osha root. The difference between osha and hemlock appears to be the altitude in which they thrive. I’ve seen poison hemlock growing along lover’s lane in Manitou on more than one occasion but have not encountered it on higher ground as of yet. The identifying factors that separate hemlock from osha are the purple splotches on the stalk of hemlock, these splotches are sometimes referred to as Socrates blood. It also has a distinct smell or stank to be more accurate. Crush a leaf or scratch the root and you will find it smells like mouse urine or dead mice. Now, thinking like an herbalist, I would surmise that given the right dosage of poison hemlock in the hands of a qualified practitioner, (I don’t know any) perhaps poison hemlock would be an excellent remedy for spastic muscle conditions and was used historically as such. Again dosage is critical and I am quite sure there is no one out there willing to risk the circumstances of an overdose. Historically, both Aconite and Poison Hemlock were used by the eclectics as medicine in homeopathic doses with extreme caution advised. I can think of several other plants I would use instead.
Beware! There is another hemlock, water hemlock is considered the most violently toxic plant in North America. Although the two sound similar they are very different plants. Water hemlock brings on violent convulsions, grand mal seizures and eventually death. Quite the opposite nervous system response that poison hemlock presents.
Death Camas
Death camas thrives in meadows and mountains across the United States and as its name implies can result in death if consumed. A hiker on one of my herb walks this year took a picture of one by Blue Mountain. The entire plant consists of toxic alkaloids and although the different species may have varying levels of toxicity its best to avoid the plant altogether.
A bulbous plant with grass like leaves, it could easily be mistaken for wild onion in its pre-bloom stage. Although it grows considerably larger than wild onion, caution is advised before picking. Some signs of poisoning by death camas include frothing at the mouth, vomiting, extreme weakness, irregular pulse, confusion and dizziness. Eventually seizures, coma and death can occur in extreme cases.
Unfortunately sheep seem drawn to this plant in the springtime when there isn’t much else to choose from for food. It’s rumored that the members of the Lewis & Clark expedition may have encountered this plant when they suffered terrible illnesses on the route through the Bitterroot Mountains. Members of the group suffered violent illness, experiencing severe diarrhea and vomiting. Doctors at the time suspected they may have mistaken death camas for its edible relative blue camas.
To experiment with any of these plants would be perilous to say the least but let’s be real. Sure there are some dangerous plants out there but the truth is, there aren’t that many. One must also take into consideration, are the plants behaving badly? It’s not like the plant got up and walked across the field with the intention of poisoning a person! Remember even innocent houseplants like the peace lily or the philodendron are considered poisonous to humans and animals. Not vilified to the same degree as their wild poisonous relatives, they do deserve their place in the lineup even if they are aesthetically pleasing and cleansing to the air.
Plants don’t kill people on their own and the fact of the matter is this, there are many hazardous substances in any given household that are considerably more dangerous than plants.
Black Magic
Most people we know will never come into contact with wild poisonous plants and even if they do they aren’t likely to ingest them. However, a more common occurrence of poisoning and even scarier in my estimation is food poisoning from contaminated or tainted food. So to end on a dark note; Trust me, you’ll want to be wearing black for this. Activated charcoal or Black Magic as some call it is one of the most beneficial remedies around for poisoning of any kind.
Useful in any accidental poisoning such as drugs or household chemicals, activated charcoal reduces absorption of the toxin by up to 60% as it binds and carries it out of the system. Having your stomach pumped to remove the toxin can only happen immediately within a half hour of the incident and does not reach beyond the stomach into the intestinal tract as activated charcoal does.
Activated charcoal AKA carbon is derived from a plant source such as the bark of the willow. The process involves first charring the material, then subjecting it to an oxidizing gas like air or steam which develops an extensive network of fine pours enhancing its power of absorption. It is 100% alkaline and highly electrical. Carbon’s negative ionic charge attracts positive ionic charges (of toxins and poisons) causing them to bind to it and then escorts them out of the body via the digestive process when taken internally.
Another valuable use for activated charcoal is as a drawing agent. First Aid Herbalist 7Song has used activated charcoal as a poultice for wounds of all kinds but specifically wounds infected with staph infection and has successfully cleared the infection and dried up the wound. My own personal experience involved a friend suffering from a wound infected with a strep bacteria. After several doctor visits, topical ointments and internal antibiotics, the wound was rapidly becoming inflamed and weepy. I recommended she purchase the activated charcoal capsules which most health food stores carry, break them open and make a poultice. Within a matter of 24 hours the wound was showing a noticeable difference and by day 3 was drying and no longer inflamed and weeping. The powder can be purchased online from Starwest Botanicals. Costing approximately $2.00 per ounce, won’t break the bank, and an ounce is about all you’ll need to heal a good size wound.
http://www.starwest-botanicals.com/category/charcoal-powder-activated/
Activated charcoal is as black as black can be and it stains nearly EVERYTHING it comes into contact with, teeth being the only exception believe it or not. Nothing on the market comes close to the whitening power of activated charcoal. Although it’s very scary to see your mouth full of a black substance, it’s a great way to freak out your friends this Halloween. Surprisingly, after brushing with activated charcoal, it leaves your teeth feeling glossy and smooth. It also promotes good oral health by altering the PH of the mouth as well as freshening the breath.
Other benefits include
*removes parasites from the body including giardia
*when used as a filter, eliminates micro-organisms and chlorine from drinking water
*relieves symptoms of Montezuma’s Revenge
Facts
*Activated charcoal is not to be used internally over a long period of time as it binds and carries out good minerals also.
*Hippocrates used activated charcoal as a remedy for many ailments
For more info on Activated Charcoal see: http://naturalsociety.com/health-benefits-of-activated-charcoal-medicine-detox/
Mari Marques is a Certified Herbalist and owner of The Thymekeeper. For questions or more information contact: Mari at mugsyspad@aol.com or 719-439-7303. Mari is available for private consultation or private classes.
Learning Herbs with The Thymekeeper
Let’s make an herbal medicine chest. What’s in yours? Something for headache, sore throat, earache, muscle pain, cuts, scrapes and bruising? Let’s explore how easy and inexpensive it is to create an herbal medicine chest for first aid and other ailments. Join us to learn how.
Where: The Thymekeeper 1870 CR 31 Florissant, CO.
Sunday October 11th or Monday October 12th from 1:30-3:30
Pre-registration is required as space is limited. Contact Mari at mugsyspad@aol.com to reserve your space. This class is funded by donation.
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