"Des Higgins" wrote in message
. ie...

"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.

Apparently Castaneda made a lot of it up - but reading "Don Juan" never
persuaded me to go and munch on my Brugmansias - probably helped persuade me
to grow them though :-)

http://www.brugmansia.pwp.blueyonder...gfragrance.JPG

some solanacea in my garden in 2002 :-)




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.