"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Phil L wrote:
"Kay" wrote in message
...

merely touching
it can give you trips like LSD,

Are you absolutely sure of that?

Yes, with the emphasis on 'can'.

Really? I think that you have been taken in by an urban legend,
or perhaps tabloid sensationalism.


I think it may have some psychotropic (is that the right word) peoperties
but you would have to eat it or make tea with it at a guess. It did feature
in the daft Carlos Castaneda books about as something that native Americans
used to ehhhhhh become religious but now that I think about it, that does
not neccessarily mean anything.

Des


It is an EXTREMELY common plant in much of the world, and would
cause havoc if that were true. While toxins can be absorbed through
the skin, merely touching it will not transfer enough to cause any
significant effect, even in sensitive people. If you have any RELIABLE
information to the contrary, please post it.

I believe that the source of this myth is that you can be affected
if you are cutting it down or otherwise handling it in a way that
you get a significant amount of sap on your skin. In that, it
doesn't differ from quite a lot of poisonous plants.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.