The worlds scariest drug

[martenfisher]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... oQ8PWYnu04

[daiv]

Strange. Not sure why he had to go to Colombia - Brugmansia is grown all over in the Southern U.S., and I suspect other places with suitable climate. They talk about it, like it is some rare plant of that region. Makes me a bit suspicious of the whole video.

[martenfisher]

I wondered those things myself. Leaves more questions with me like is this species different in chemical composition from jimson weed, angel trumpet, or devil trumpet.

[Gnostic]

I am pretty sure brugmansia and datura have the same alkaloid profile. The differences are the amounts of each chemical they contain. I believe I read somewhere brugmansia are grown to extract scopolamine from. They use the chemical in doctors offices to dialate your eyes if I am not mistaken.

[amanzed]

Always be skeptical of "new terrifying drug craze" reports.

[Peterthecactusguy]

I am pretty sure brugmansia and datura have the same alkaloid profile. The differences are the amounts of each chemical they contain. I believe I read somewhere brugmansia are grown to extract scopolamine from. They use the chemical in doctors offices to dialate your eyes if I am not mistaken.

Datura has that too. when people take Datura they often go temporarily blind and panic and have been known to die. Whatever the case, I refuse to remove my Datura whether some people call it evil or not. I enjoy the flowers. (I have two growing in my yard now)

all I know is I will only handle my plants/seeds sparingly.

[Gnostic]

yes but I think brugs have it in higher concentration.
I agree. I have a lovely little d. wrightii in my garden amongst my cacti. It is there to add flowers when my cacti aren;t so willing to do so. I think it adds in a nice contrast

[tumamoc]

I know I'm going off topic here, but another bonus of Datura flowers is that they attract the same moths that pollinate night blooming cacti such as Peniocereus greggii.

[daiv]

Well in conclusion, I think there is no doubt some valid concern and that there probably has been abuse resembling that mentioned in the video. I just think this guy's reporting loses credibility when he presents it as if he is the lone journalist to ever dare be brave enough to investigate this known-only-to-street-savvy people phenomenon.

Of course, a dramatic program generates lots of viewers and helps fund trips to travel to new and exotic places like Colombia.

[Peterthecactusguy]

I have heard and I am not sure if it's true that D. wrightii flowers smell similar to P. greggii?

I know about many different plants that have different properties, but I have never ingested any of them, save one, which I did when I was a young teenager and didn't really like.

[Peterthecactusguy]

yes but I think brugs have it in higher concentration.
I agree. I have a lovely little d. wrightii in my garden amongst my cacti. It is there to add flowers when my cacti aren;t so willing to do so. I think it adds in a nice contrast

That might be so. They are closely related to Daturas tho.. they are in the same family, the dreaded Nightshade family. I find the plants in this family pretty neat. We eat Tomatoes and peppers from this family, but many of the other ones are toxic. (many of the flowers are very interesting.)