Here are the most frightening plants you should absolutely be afraid of!
8 - Colombian Devil’s Breath
Imagine a drug that can turn an unwitting victim into a zombie of sorts, who can be
coerced into doing whatever someone else wants them to, and then have their memory wiped
clean when it’s all over.
Well such a thing totally exists.
As the name would suggest, Colombian Devil’s Breath is grown in Colombia.
But the drug has been sold around the world, and it may be one of the most criminal substances
known to mankind.
The seeds from the borrachero shrub can be extracted and powdered down using a chemical
process.
The powdered version is known as Scopolamine or as Devil’s Breath.
By simply pouring the powder into a drink, or mixing it with food, or otherwise tricking
a person into ingesting it, any nefarious person supposedly can force unsuspecting victims
into doing whatever they want.
That could mean anything from taking money out of their own bank accounts, robbing a
house for them, rape, stealing organs, or any other nefarious deed.
Often times, amnesia is a side effect, so the target sometimes doesn’t even recall
being victimized.
Ryan Duffy, a reporter for Vice, traveled to South America to explore the horrifying
subculture of Scopolamine.
This guy had the balls to interview the drug dealers who peddle this stuff, and was shocked
to learn that it can be blown into the face of someone walking down the street.
Tourists tend to be sought out targets, as Colombian natives tend to be a bit more guarded
about the potential threat.
In high doses, it can even be lethal.
I’m still a bit skeptical on how effective this plant can be with controlling people.
What do you guys think?
Historically speaking, the drug is thought to have been used even in ancient times.
When Colombian leaders would die, their mistresses supposedly were often forced to take the drug
and enter the graves of the dead leader.
Whaaaaaaaaaaat!!
7 - Doll’s Eye
Just looking at this would be enough to scare just about anyone.
Doll’s Eye looks like it could be of extraterrestrial origin, or maybe something from Alice In Wonderland.
But it’s actually found all over North American forests in places such as Canada, Georgia
and Minnesota.
Now, let’s say just for the sake of discussion, someone decides that the creepy looking fruit
from a Doll’s Eye plant actually looks kind of tasty during their afternoon hike.
So they pick the eyeball looking fruit off the plant and pop it in their mouth.
They’re going to be regretting THAT decision.
Doll’s Eye plants, which are also known as White Baneberry, have poisonous toxins
that can cause several problems.
For example, after eating the fruit, our hypothetical hiker might start to get dizzy, with really
bad stomach cramps.
He’ll probably get really bad diarrhea as well along with burning mouth and throat,
a wicked bad headache and as a little cherry on top, he’ll start to hallucinate as well.
If not treated, anyone who eats this fruit could also end up going into cardiac arrest
and dying.
So, the moral of the pretend story...don’t eat fruit from strange plants in the wilderness.
6 - Deadly Nightshade
Atropa Belladonna, or also known as Deadly Nightshade, is a plant that has a long and
decorated history when it comes to poisoning.
That’s because it contains a toxin called Atropine.
The word Atropine is derived from the greek name Atropos.
In Greek mythology, Atropos was one of the three fates, who controlled the fate of all
mortal life.
It was Atropos who decided when to end a mortal’s life by cutting off their head with her giant
shears.
So….that’s the name that that scientists decided to associate with this plant.
Use of this plant dates back to ancient times where soldiers would dip their arrows in poison
made from atropine to use during battle.
In Ancient Rome, the wives of emperors, such as Agrippina the Younger, used it for killing.
Macbeth, the Scottish King, who was the inspiration for the famous Shakespeare play, is rumored
to have used the toxins to poison English troops.
Same deal with Mark Anthony’s troops during the Parthian wars.
Every part of this plant is poisonous, from the root, to the leaves to the berries that
grow on them.
Over the years it’s been called, death cherries, devil’s berries, and the Naughty Man’s
Cherries, which could have a few different meanings if you ask me.
Eating too many of these “naughty cherries” or handling the plant without caution can
trigger side effects which include seizures, quickening of the pulse, confusion and remarkably
vivid hallucinations.
While some people use this as a recreational drug for the sake of hallucinating, it’s
not something I would recommend.
The trips are often really bad, and can last for up to four days.
An overdose of Atropine is sometimes fatal.
Despite the dangers posed by the plant, it does have its medicinal purposes.
When prepared by people who actually know what they’re doing, it can be used in drugs
that treat gout, sciatica, rheumatism, neuralgia, and an assortment of other ailments.
5 - Death Camas
Found in the United States, Death Camas are particularly dangerous because they kind of
look like onions.
Onions as we know, are quite tasty and often spice up your dinner.
So it’s natural that someone might want to pluck one fresh out of the ground and munch
on it.
I mean, raw onions seem like an odd snack, but hey...to each their own.
Anyways, Death Camas are NOT okay to eat.
Just eating one or two bulbs can result in spasms, dizziness, diarrhea, headache, twitching,
nausea, low heart rate, rapid breathing, intense abdominal pain, bloody vomit and can even
put someone into a coma, which most likely would kill them.
These plants are especially dangerous to livestock who aren’t smart enough to tell the difference
between these poisonous death plants and actual onions.
But sometimes people are poisoned as well.
It’s rumored that when mormon settlers started colonizing Utah, the Native Americans tricked
them by selling the plants as food.
4 - Water Hemlock
Also called Cicuta, the Water Hemlock is one of North America’s deadliest plants.
Although it might look kind of pretty, ingesting the toxins from this plant can really mess
your day up.
Within minutes, symptoms such as nausea, confusion, dizziness, tremors, weakness and abdominal
pain set in.
Even seizures are known to occur.
From there, things only get worse.
Increased blood temperature, swelling of the brain, muscle breakdown, bleeding disorders
and kidney failure are staples in Hemlock Poisoning.
Whew, this sounds like one of the worst ways to go!!
Sometimes the poison even has neurological effects such as hallucinations and delirium
as well.
If you eat this plant and you’re not treated, you can die within hours.
Those lucky enough to recover, however, can actually still have periodic seizures for
around 2-3 days.
3- Devil’s Weed
This guy goes by many names.
Hell’s Bells, like the AC/DC song, devil’s weed, devil’s trumpet, thorn apple, moonflower,
and it’s scientific name, Datura, are all used to describe this highly poisonous plant.
For the sake of our conversation, we’ll use Devil’s Weed, cause that sounds pretty
edgy.
Devil’s Weed can be found in such places as the U.S, parts of southern canada, Mexico,
and also all the way in Tunisia.
That’s in Northern Africa just in case you guys snoozed through geography class like
I did.
Anyways, even though it’s only found in specific parts of the world, this plant has
been used all over the world for nefarious reasons.
Given the fact that it contains some pretty intense toxins such as scopolamine, atropine,
and hyoscyamine, it’s been a popular poison for assassins and suicidal people for centuries.
What’s most striking about this plant, is that it acts as sort of a hallucinogen, which
has inspired drug abusers to purposely ingest this stuff.
Some people roll the weeds up into a cigarette while others boil the stuff into tea.
Either way, the results are always interesting to say the least.
Writing for the Sabotage Times, a hallucinogen expert named Sean Flynn recalled his other
worldly experience with the drug.
Hold up, is this a job title?
He reported that his mouth went instantly dry and that his tongue turned dark green
while his lips went black.
One of his colleagues went blind for three days as a result of the drug.
This particular plant is so dangerous because people reach such a delirious state, that
they can’t tell the difference between reality and fantasy.
That’s not me talking, that’s from the U.S Department of Agriculture.
According to Flynn, when taken, Devil’s Weed has the effect of a deliriant, which
prevents neurotransmitters in the brain from working, which puts people into a really really
advanced state of stupidity.
2 - Hydnora Africana
At first glance, this guy looks like something that belongs in a Super Mario game or something.
Actually, Mario would probably rather fall in hot lava then have to face this plant known
as Hydnora Africana.
Found in southern parts of Africa, this plant plant grows almost entirely underground, except
for a weird looking flower that emerges.
The flower smells straight up like sh*t, which attracts dung beetles.
The flowers then trap the beetles, who love the way poop tastes, long enough for the beetles
to pick up pollen.
So for the beetle, I guess it’s a poopy paradise for them.
The plant then releases the beetles back out into the world to pollinate other plants.
They even have fruit that grows on them that are a food source for birds, porcupines, moles
and other animals.
Jackals seem to especially love them.
So much so that the plant has been nicknamed “Jackal Food.”
People have even been known to snack on the fruit.
I hope it tastes much better than it smells.
So while it’s not actually dangerous to humans, the idea of a plant that can trap
something in a sh*t smelling enclosure is frightening.
In fact, it kind of sounds like the plot of a B-Movie.
Through some kind of radioactive mutation, these plants grow thousands of times bigger
than normal and begin to trap anything and everything in their paths.
Enough with Sharknado already...let’s make this happen!!!
1 - Gympie Gympie Tree
The Gympie Gympie trees are found in Australia, and believe it or not, they can inflict a
incredibly painful sting.
The pain from this sting can last for months.
Months!!!
In 1963, a guy named Ernie Rider was accidentally slapped in the face by the foliage from a
gympie and described the pain as unbearable.
He claimed he couldn’t work or sleep for days.
The allergies and slightly less severe pain lasted for about two more weeks while the
stinging lasted for TWO YEARS after he was stung.
I hope this 2 year stinging is only specific to this guy.
Dr. Marina Hurley spent three years in Queensland studying stinging trees.
She got some first hand experience when she was stung by a gympie gympie as a postgrad
student at James Cook University . She developed allergic reactions that ultimately sent her
to the hospital.
She would later describe being stung as “the worst kind of pain you can imagine.
Like being burnt with hot acid and electrocuted at the same time.”
That sounds pretty sh***y.
Gympie Gympie trees are found mostly in Australian forests, but are also in Indonesia and the
Moluccas.
People are usually stung when they accidentally brush up against the plant.
After that, they’re pretty much screwed.
“Hair” from the plant penetrates the person’s skin and releases a toxin called “moroidin.”
Initially this causes intense pain...like a really bad burning sensation.
Aching joints and swelling under the armpits cause even more pain for days afterwards.
All of the hair from the tree must be removed from the skin.
Otherwise it will keep releasing the moroidin for at least a year...which will just keep
causing a bunch of problems.
When not treated, a sting victim may go into shock and die.
Even just being around the plant is said to be pretty crappy.
Breathing in the air around it can cause allergic reactions Itching, rashes and intense nosebleeds.
Pfffffft…..more reasons for me to not visit the wilderness
of Australia!
Here’s what’s next!