Pruning under the influence

It sounds like this plant should be nipped in the bud early with a little help from the media.

Gopel C, Laufer C, Marcus A.
PMID: 11869466 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

An increase of intoxications in persons using alkaloid-containing ornamental plants (mainly angel's trumpet) for their hallucinogenic effects and easy and cheap availability is registered. It is mainly adolescents who are experimenting with these plants. In addition to severe vegetative anticholinergic symptoms, the clinical picture is often dominated by a toxic psychosis with hallucinations, disturbances of orientation, and psychomotoric agitation, aggression, or anxiety. Three cases of severe psychotic pictures with only mild or completely missing vegetative symptoms after ingestion of angel's trumpet tea are reported. Caused by the increasing spreading of angel's trumpet shrubberies in Europe and North America, intoxications with large numbers of fatalities have to be expected in the future. The taxonomical, pharmacological, and clinical aspects of angel's trumpet-induced disorders are discussed. Knowledge of the clinical picture is important for correct diagnosis and treatment. Prevention by mass media should mainly focus on the medical fatalities of abuse and not emphasize the hallucinogenic effects, presumably increasing unwanted interest for these plants among youths.

Kids will be kids.

Omni Brain had that one covered (so to speak) in December: http://scienceblogs.com/omnibrain/2007/12/man_severs_own_penis.php

Angel's Trumpet is a flower that contains scopolamine and other alkaloids. It's known as a "biogenic drug" and presumed by naive recreational drug users to be harmless because it's a plant. However, it can cause psychosis, delirium, visual hallucinations, agitation, incoherence, aggressive behaviour, memory problems and "convulsive sobbing" as well as somatic symptoms and well, things like this incident.

Oh no! Sorry, Omni Brain bloggers!

'Tis a good thing for non omni brain-readers. The post that is, not the self-mutilation, psychosis, delirium etc.

No worries, Chris, this case has cropped up in the media now and then for years. I thought I had a fresh topic, too, I wrote before I Googled thoroughly. I spent more time looking for a good picture (oh, and catch the URL on the photo at Omni Brain, that was even better...).

But anyway, our reports are written independently so it doesn't matter who came first. We both have taste, is all. :)