Psycho beauty, ... qu'est-ce que c'est?

It's a neglected beauty with a criminal record. A killer plant that is responsible for the deaths of a few overly curious teens, straying husbands and wives, several Native Americans and countless others who underestimated its deadly powers. What is this culprit of which I speak? None other than the seductively beautiful Datura stramonium, a.k.a. devil's weed, moonflower, Jamestown weed, ditch weed, stink weed, loco weed, mad hatter, green dragon, thorn apple, Downy Thornapple, zombie cucumber, angel's trumpet, devil's trumpet, devil's seed, mad apple, and tolguacha. That's a lot of names for a plant that made Georgia O'Keefe a heap of money.

Jimson Weed, by Georgia O'Keefe

More commonly referred to as Jimson weed, this unassuming, though highly poisonous beauty is not only associated with bad trips and deadly consequences, it has served as origin of several catch phrases such as, "Red as a beet, dry as a bone, blind as a bat, mad as a hatter". This is probably because that's how you're gonna feel if you eat any part of this plant. Clearly, Jimson weed is one bad-ass botanical.

But how can such a good looking plant be so bad? Just think back to high school and remember that bad boy with the angelic face you had a crush on. Just like him, Jimson weed, when in bloom, is an alluring beauty with a spotty reputation. But can we look at Datura Stramonium weed and not think of its dark side? The answer is of course, or gardeners would avoid showing it off it their yards. Those gorgeous blooms really can take your breath away. Perhaps that was a wrong choice of words.


As one would expect, Jimson weed has an interesting history. It is native to India and was imported to Europe and later brought to North America by early settlers. It was a plant before it became known as a weed, yet is actually considered an annual herb that grows up to 5 feet tall, with pale green stems and spreading branches and leaves that are ovate shaped. The flower blooms are showy, coming in white or purple with a 5-pointed corolla up to four inches long. Their "evil" seeds are contained in a hard, spiny capsules, about 2 inches in diameter, which split into four parts when ripe. Some florists (you know I do) use the spiny pods in the fall to add new texture into designs. It blooms mid-summer to early fall, and its gorgeous flowers don't open up fully until around midnight and then close early in the morning, lasting only a single day. How sexy is that?


Jimson weed as an herb is where it gets its rep as a dangerous "tripping" flower. In ancient herbal medicine, it was ingested to treat madness (although it often caused more), epilepsy, and melancholy. As an ointment it was thought to help burns and rheumatism. More recently, preparations from the plant have been used as ingredients, ironically, in some asthma medicines. With this exception, however, Jimson weed is generally considered too toxic and unreliable for medical applications today. It seems too many people had bad experiences when it was supposed to have magical healing properties.


Luckily all parts of this plant are unpleasant to the taste making it unappealing to children and animals. Although it grows wildly in pastures, cattle tend to avoid it unless there is sparse food to graze on. In this case, they generally die from poisoning, but this is not too common.


One of its more famous nicknames,"Jamestown weed", came from an event that took place in the 1600's in Jamestown, VA involving Nathaniel Bacon. Europeans brought Jimson weed over to America and planted it in Jamestown. Later, during Bacon's Rebellion, British soldiers decided to boil its leaves and put them in salads, where they ended up hallucinating severely for over a week. Talk about an organic, trippy salad.

No matter what Jimson weed's background is, there is no disputing--this plant is absolutely lovely, even in the middle of a field, growing wild. When it blooms in the evening, the flowers draw you in with their perfect shape and dreamy scent. So, next time you spot Jimson weed, get high off the neglected beauty instead of its leaves and seeds... that's a psycho trip you can afford to miss.

More Jimson Facts:

Nonmeclature:
Datura Stramonium L. - Named by Carl Linnaeus as published in Species Plantarum (1753). The genus was derived from ancient hindu word for plant, dhatura. The species name is from New Latin, stramonium, meaning thornapple. Stramonium is originally from from Greek, strychnos (nightshade) and manikos (mad).

Effects:
All parts of the plant are toxic-- so don't eat it! Initial symptoms are dry mouth, dilated pupils, high temperature, reduced sweating, blurred vision, and rapid heart beat. Also it can cause severe psychological effects like confusion, incoherent speech, impaired coordination, euphoria, and delirium. Extreme cases bring seizures, intense visual/auditory hallucinations, and cardiac arrest.

Addiction Potential:
Thus far, there are no reports that Jimsonweed is addictive.

Other "weird" current medical uses:
Today, believe it or not, extracts are still used in treating asthma, intestinal cramps, and both diarrhea and bed-wetting.

"High" Duration:
Depends on dose, with most effects beginning within two hours of use and some lingering up to 24-48 hours.

Is it Legal?:
In 1968, the abuse of Jimsonweed as a hallucinogenic drug prompted the US government to ban over-the-counter sales of products prepared from it, however, Jimsonweed is not a controlled substance.


For more information on Datura Stramonium, go to: Jimsonweed