[NAFEX] Re: Datura

Doc Lisenby longdistshtr at shtc.net
Mon Jun 13 09:51:23 EDT 2005


Jim wrote:

 "Kids are using Datura as a legal high (drug).  It is bought and sold in
tea bags and police are helpless to do anything about it because it is
legal."

Me:

I eat Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) leaves and prefer them to most popular 
cultivated "greens".  I can't recommend them because they require proper 
cooking preparation.  We ran a few tests in toxicology and unofficially 
determined that the poison is mainly in the roots and mature stems.  It has 
a complicated poison and at the time of our test could not be identified 
exactly.
A few insects eat the leaves, but I have never seen any insect damage to the 
stems or roots.  I heard/read a rumor that the poison has been reported to 
cause increased production of white blood cells in humans and was suggested 
as an AIDS chemotherapeutic medication.
Poke was a common table fare in the "thirties", as was persimmon pudding and 
"real" yams.
Thornapple, aka Jimson weed (Datura stramonium) has  hallucinogenic 
properties and I've heard that it has been used by the drug nuts for their 
endeavors.
Doc
Zone 7/8 





More information about the nafex mailing list