Jimson weed is current despite being a fairly common plant in our geography. Present in any temperate zone of the planet , it is usually found in wastelands, dumps, riverbanks, stables or dunghills, this poisonous plant has been used for centuries for its psychoactive qualities in rituals, ceremonies, home medicine and drug production.
The origin of the Jimson weed is confusing and controversial, as explained by Dr. Josep Ma Fericgla from the University of Barcelona, many authors defend that it is a native plant of America or India. Others, however, point to its origin in areas near the Caspian Sea . The truth is that today it can be easily found in North Africa or Europe, where it is even used in gardening. In Spain and other places with a temperate climate it can be found from an altitude at sea level. This plant, from the floripondio family, reaches a meter and a half in height, is annual and has white trumpet-shaped flowers that sometimes tend to yellow or green. It gives off a strong smell and its fruit is particularly striking, a three or four centimeter long spiny capsule.
The dark, sweetish seeds that this capsule houses are the most toxic part of the plant. A quantity of five or six grams of seeds or fresh leaf can constitute a lethal dose . The toxicity of the plant is due to its content of tropan alkaloids: hyoscyamine, scopolamine and atropine. These substances, which are also found in other plants such as belladonna , act as narcotics. They are characterized by generating, consumed in small quantities, anticholinergic reactions that produce delirium due to hallucinations for hours, but that in larger quantities can cause death. The main symptoms are pupil dilation, dry mouth and skin, dizziness, weak pulse, hypertension, seizures, hallucinations, tremors and, getting worse, paralysis and coma. It is usual for the effects of the poisoning to last for several days. Jimson weed holds the world record for poisoning by poisonous plants . Even honey made from its pollen can be toxic.
The medicinal applications of Jimson weed are numerous, but the poisons it contains and the difficult application of the dose have restricted its use in natural medicine . The problem is that the concentration of the active substances varies greatly from plant to plant, making it extremely difficult to measure the amounts . For this reason, its traditional use has almost always been external, mainly as a local anesthetic or analgesic. Through its internal use, it helps alleviate asthma, stomach spasms or epilepsy.
Witches, shamans and pharmacists
The magical properties that have traditionally been attributed to Jimson weed have favored its use in the most disparate spheres. In ancient Rome, devotees of the god Bacchus were ecstatic with hallucinogenic plants that some authors identify as Jimson weed. Along with the mandrake or belladonna , the jimson was part of the concoctions associated with witchcraft during the Middle Ages, and the ointments they made to “fly”. Hence, perhaps, before being put at the stake, the accused witches confessed to having crossed the skies or danced with Satan in what had more than likely been a psychotropic journey.
In areas of North Africa, mixed with Kif or in infusion, it is consumed as a hallucinogen. Native North Americans used the plant for ritual ceremonies or to treat snake bites. In the United States it is known as the Jamestown herb because in 1666, in the town with that name, a group of soldiers suffered massive poisoning. The hallucinated had to be locked up to avoid a more than probable misfortune. As early as 1881, Albert Ladenburg used it to isolate scopolamine, also known as “burundanga”.
