It's a beautiful day
to walk through a garden.
The berries, the leaves,
everything looks beautiful.
Even the smell is to die for.
And we mean that literally.
Alnwick Castle is located
in the north of England.
It's famous for appearing
in the Harry Potter movies
and its beautiful gardens.
But part of the garden is restricted
by locked iron gates.
Why?
Because it's home to about 100 plants
that could kill you.
Alnwick Garden receives
600,000 visitors every year.
Many of them faint because
they don't follow these steps.
The skulls and crossbones on the gate
might seem a bit dramatic.
But every plant in this garden
could kill or seriously harm you.
That's why you can only enter this garden
as part of a guided tour.
Your guide will tell you
what you can and can’t do.
If you follow their advice,
it will protect you from passing out
or needing medical help.
Some of the plants are phototoxic.
If you touch them,
they could burn you.
One example is Ruta graveolens,
also known as rue or Herb of Grace.
Brushing your skin against it
could cause third-degree burns,
especially if it's a really hot day.
Don't get fooled by those
delicious-looking berries.
This is Atropa belladonna.
It got its name
from the beautiful ladies in Venice,
who used its juice to dilate their pupils.
These berries can cause vomiting,
delirium and in severe cases, coma.
Be extra careful
if you're taking children to the garden.
Eating just three belladonna berries
can kill them.
So could eating the fungus
of devil's finger plants.
Dying only takes ten hours.
The Poison Garden puts one plant
in a special cage.
It's the Ricinus communis
or castor bean.
It's the most poisonous plant
on the planet,
especially when it has been processed
into ricin and injected.
Chewing and eating the seeds
can cause vomiting,
abdominal cramps
and multisystem organ failure.
Hyoscyamus niger,
Henbane or hog’s-bean
might be the main reason
people faint during the tours.
Eating it can cause hallucinations,
hypertension and convulsions.
Just smelling the flower
can result in giddiness and fainting.
Every week, up to three people
faint in the Poison Garden.
That's why there is a bench
for people to sit on
and first aid on-site for emergencies.
Even if you collect poisonous plants
safely while wearing gloves,
you could still be in danger.
Prunus laurocerasus,
or laurel, contains cyanide.
If you put laurel in your car
and the windows are closed,
the plant's fumes can make you
fall asleep at the wheel.
Other plants,
like Angel’s Trumpet,
have mild hallucinogenic effects
when eaten.
If you get some of its pollen on you,
it could get into your body.
That can cause hallucinations
and sleepiness.
Wash your clothes
after visiting the Poison Garden,
just to be sure.
You survived this deadly garden,
and you learned that
some of the common plants
you see in people's yards
can be poisonous.
If you like exotic plants,
would you like to check this one out?
It smells like a corpse,
and it could turn you into one.
Learn how to smell it
and live to tell the tale.