Wicked Plants Quiz 1

Question 1

Aconite

Answer 1

• found in Europe and the US
• common name: monkshood
• all parts of the plant are toxic
• poison: alkaloid called aconitine, paralyzes nerves, lowers blood pressure, stops the heart
• swallowing the plant can bring on severe vomiting then death by asphyxiation
• Nazi scientists used it in their poisoned bullets

Question 2

Ayahuasca vine

Answer 2

• bark is combined with leaves of the chacruna shrub to form to make ayahuasca tea
• ayahuasca contains a naturally occurring monoamine oxidase inhibitor, similar to an antidepressant
• habitat is tropical forests in S America
• tea causes bizarre hallucinations followed by severe vomiting, used by some religious groups
• illegal, US DEA enforces laws against using it for nonreligious reasons

Question 3

Chacruna

Answer 3

• combined with the bark of the ayahuasca vine to make ayahuasca tea
• contains DMT
• habitat is lower levels of the Amazon and other parts of S America

Question 4

Betel nut

Answer 4

• an addictive stimulant that turns teeth black and saliva red
• custom of chewing these nuts dates back thousands of years
• in India, wrapped in a Piper betle leaf (leaves also a stimulant) and mixed with other things (shaked lime, Indian spices, tobacco). called a quid, gives users energy, mild high, and more saliva
• withdrawal symptoms include headaches and sweats, regular chewing of betel nuts leads to an increased risk of mouth cancer, asthma, heart disease
• found in tropical forests, native to Malaysia

Question 5

Castor bean

Answer 5

• used in the “umbrella murder”
• dramatic annual or tender perennial shrub w deeply lobed leaves, prickly seedpods, and large, speckled seeds
• native to E Africa & parts of W Asia
• only the seeds are poisonous
• castor oil is a home remedy used as a laxative or to soothe sore muscles & inflammation

Question 6

Coca

Answer 6

• found in tropical rain forests, native to S America
• coca leaves were placed b/w the cheek & gum as a mild stimulant as early as 3000 BC
• cocaine is an alkaloid that can be extracted from coca leaves. has been used as an anesthetic, pain reliever, digestive aid, health tonic
• coca plant’s ability to inspire humans to go to war may be its most deadly quality
• still chewed as a mild stimulant in native Andean communities
• leaves are nutritious and v high in calcium
• Boliviana negra: new variety of coca that developed a resistance to herbicides

Question 7

Coyotillo

Answer 7

• modest shrub
• produces black berries in the fall that contain a compound that causes slow paralysis
• paralyses feet, then legs, then respiratory system, then tongue & throat
• grows along the border between TX and Mexico, as well as NM
• name is the diminutive of “coyote”

Question 8

Deadly nightshade

Answer 8

• the entire plant is poisonous
• native to Europe, Asia, N Africa
• alkaloid called atropine is in it, causes rapid heartbeat, confusion, hallucinations, and seizures
• pointed, oval-shaped leaves and purplish brown tubular flowers
• been used as antidote to poisoning from nerve gas and pesticide exposure
• “atropa” comes from one of the 3 fates of Greek mythology. Atropos brought dealth at the time & manner of her choosing

Question 9

Death camas

Answer 9

• found in meadows across the western US
• the entire plant contains toxic alkaloids
• eating any of the plant or the bulb will cause drooling/frothing at the mouth, vomiting, extreme weakness, an irregular pulse, confusion & dizziness
• serious problem for livestock
• might have played a role in the illnesses that members of the Lewis and Clark expedition faced

Question 10

Ergot

Answer 10

• parasitic fungus that attaches itself to a flowering cereal grass like rye or wheat
• found in Europe
• develops in damp conditions
• able to mimic the grain it has infected
• forms a hardened mass called a sclerotium on its host and can nurture dormant spores until the conditions are right to release them
• alkaloids in ergot constrict blood vessels, causing seizures, nausea, uterine contradictions, gangrene and death
• Albert Hofmann extracted lysergic acid from ergot to make LSD
• signs of ergot poisoning include hysteria, hallucinations, and a feeling that something is crawling on the skin
• may have caused the Salem witch trials