Creepypasta Magic ☽☉☾

Poisonous Plants

White snakeroot-

It is believed that white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) was responsible for the death of the American president, Abraham Lincoln's mother. She died of what was termed milk sickness which occurred as the result of drinking milk that was tainted with toxins from plants eaten by cows. In the early 19th century thousands of European settlers died in Midwestern America. It was only when a real-life Dr. Quinn (Anna Bixby) learnt about the properties of snakeroot from an elderly Native American woman that the cause was discovered. The cause of the toxicity is a type of alcohol, tremetol, which gets its name from the tremors it causes in those poisoned. Along with this, there would be violent vomiting, delirium, severe thirst and ultimately death.

The name snakeroot comes from the fact it can be used as a treatment when applied to snakebites.

 Manchineel-

Bearing fruits known as 'little apples of death' this is a plant to steer well clear of. Found in coastal regions of Florida, South and Central America the manchineel is possibly the world's most poisonous tree. Whilst the fruit is said to be potentially lethal if eaten it is the tree itself that poses the greatest threat. Every part is stuffed full of powerful toxins, most notably the sap which contains phorbol, a strong skin irritant. Contact with the sap provokes strong allergic dermatitis resulting in blistering of the skin. This is a particular hazard during rain when anyone taking shelter under the tree's leaves runs the risk of getting splashed with sap-laden raindrops. Even a tiny amount can cause the skin to blister, not surprising as this stuff can strip paint of parked cars too! It is also reported that the smoke from burning the wood can cause blindness.

Of course, all this potential for pain didn't go unnoticed. The Carib natives were said to use the sap on their arrowheads, poison the wells of their enemies with the leaves and even tie some unfortunate victims to the trunk of the tree.

 Suicide Tree-

With a name like that it is little surprise that this tree is probably responsible for most deaths than any other plant. In the Indian state of Kerala alone it is thought to be responsible for around 50 deaths a year. Despite being called the suicide tree the toxins work equally well for murder and the flavour is easily hidden in a bowl of spicy food. It is in Madagascar where Cerbera claimed most victims. Referred to as 'ordeal poison' it was used in the process of 'trial by ordeal'. Basically, if you survived you were innocent, if you died you were, well, dead...It is estimated that around 3,000 people a year died in these trials, many willingly submitting themselves to the process believing it infallible. Trial by poison was finally abolished in 1861 by King Radama II.

It is the seed inside the fruit of this plant that is highly poisonous. It contains the powerful alkaloid, cerberin, which is similar to digoxin in foxgloves. These both work by disrupting the heart's rhythm often with fatal results.

Lily of the Valley-

Lily of the valley can be found throughout Northern Europe and America where it is common in woodland. Despite its pretty appearance, this plant is deadly poisonous containing no less than 38 different cardiac glycosides. Chief amongst these is convallatoxin which has a similar effect to digitalis in foxgloves. All parts of the plants are toxic including the orangey-red berries.

The symptoms of lily of the valley poisoning include severe headache, nausea, vomiting, slow heartbeat and excessive urination.

 Aconite-

Aconite goes by many names some which refer to the shape of the flower e.g. monkshood or devil's helmet and others which refer to traditional uses, such as wolf's bane. This name comes from its use by ancient Greek shepherds who would tip their arrows in aconite to kill wolves. Any plant with so many names should set alarm bells ringing as it must be fairly notorious and this is definitely the case for aconite. Also known as "the queen of poisons" this is possibly the most poisonous plant in Europe. The pretty purple flowers are a fairly common sight on the foothills of mountains throughout northern Europe and Asia. They grow to around 6 feet (2m) tall with all parts of the plant containing deadly aconitine. Just touching the plant can cause severe symptoms whilst ingesting often proved fatal. The effects are immediate and begin with a burning in the mouth. This is followed by drooling, vomiting and diarrhoea. As the poison progresses victims may experience numbness, tingling, irregular heartbeat and ultimately death from respiratory failure. Wolfsbane's deadly history is long. It was named 'ἀκόνιτον' by the ancient Greeks, meaning 'without a struggle' hinting at the poison's mode of action. It features in literature both ancient and modern from Shakespeare right up to Harry Potter in which it is brewed by Professor Snape to turn Remus Lupin into a werewolf.

The sap has long been used to tip spears and arrows. It was even used by some Eskimos to tip their harpoons for hunting whales. More recent use was by the Nazis in World War II when the toxin was extracted to tip bullets.

Rosary Pea-

Abrus precatorius is another plant with many names; rosary pea, jequirity, paternoster pea, crab's eye, precatory bean, Indian licorice, or Jumbie bread. None of these names though hint at the fact the beans contain a poison nearly 100 times more deadly than ricin. The toxin is called abrin and there is little doubt that this is the most deadly plant poison known to man. Its effects are very similar to those of ricin. Surprisingly this is a common plant throughout the tropics and is regarded as an invasive pest species in many places, most notably Florida. The bright red and black beans have a variety of uses including as the rattling beans inside maracas and in jewelry – this is where the name rosary pea comes from as they are commonly strung together to form rosary beads. Fortunately for the wearer, the bean has a very tough protective coating, unfortunately for jewelry makers pricking a finger whilst working on one can and has caused numerous fatalities. In a recent incident, a number of bracelets were recalled at one of the UK's best-known tourist attractions, the Eden Project, when it emerged they were made of Abrus precatorius seeds.

Whilst the theoretical danger from a plant containing one of the most powerful toxins known to man is obvious this does not seem to have been borne out statistically. It is known that the seeds are relatively safe if swallowed whole as they will pass through the body protected by their tough coating. What is more surprising is the number of survivors who have chewed or ground up the seeds. Whilst some have died as many have survived even though suffering severe gastrointestinal upsets. It is thought the reason for this is that the toxin abrin is only slowly absorbed into the body. So, given swift medical care, or just the body's natural purgative actions it seems many can survive.