killers in the mist…
True beauty can be found in abundance in Nature. A statement which is validated whenever I find myself staring with amazement at the intricacy and strength of a spider’s web, the deep, bloody red of a rose in full blossom, the ultra fine dust like rain falling to Earth in continuously dancing waves of rain particles…There is perfection in Nature, a balance sustained by powers I can’t begin to fathom, let alone attempt to define.
True beauty lies in the Wilderness, but this beauty can be cruel as well as warming to the senses. Looks can Kill. And with that in mind, I will now deliver a brief outline of a list of plant-life which can prove fatal when mixed with human beings…
1.Narcissus
The bulbs of the vibrant Narcissus -or as it is more commonly known, The Daffodil- are toxic enough to cause cramps, the shits, vomiting and nausea, if consumed in large quantities. Before the golden plumes erupt from the buds the plant is sometimes mistaken for an onion. Much to the discomfort of the unfortunate soul who succumbs to such confusion. Hardly the plant of choice for an assassin, the daffodil is nonetheless one to avoid bringing to the dining table.
2.Rhododendron
Rhododendron, like the daffodil, flowers in Spring with colour and delightful form. The leaves of this plant, and also the honey made by it’s nectar is a sure-fire path to disaster. Your mouth will burn red with rage, your skin will be prickled with invisible thorns, and your heart’s natural rhythm could be reduced to an erratic, laboured beat. Serious enough to put you in a coma or even kill you outright. Steer clear of this one.
3. Oleander
Most of the plants on this list offer threats from either their flowers or their nectar, but the Oleander is different. Every part of this femme fatale is highly toxic and will produce similar affects in the human body to the Rhododendron. The roots, the stem, the petals, it will all cause you no end of suffering. Burning the deadly beauty creates poisonous gas which if inhaled causes the same symptoms. If she gets you, and you are lucky enough to reach a doctor not coked out of his brains, you will be fed charcoal. Which is supposed to absorb the toxin…
4. Foxglove
With such wonderful nicknames as Witches Thimbles, Fairy Bells, Rabbit Flower and it’s most common label, FoxGlove, I am unable to resist including Digitalis Pupurea on this rap sheet. It is a truly gorgeous plant. Layers of white bells hug together loosely around a delicate green stem. Attractive to look at, but not to eat. Consumption of any part of the FoxGlove will invite a potentially dangerous change to your heart-rate, vomiting, pain in the mouth and dioreha. Ordering a dish of this siren of the forest leads to a Stomach Pumping session at the hospital followed by charcoal dinners for a month.
5. Castor beans
The most poisonous plant known to man is called the Castor Bean. Contained in these seeds is a toxin called Ricin, which is extremely dangerous to humans if consumed, inhaled or injected. It works it’s insidious black magic by halting the production of proteins in it’s victims. Without the proteins the body begins to die. Just one of these little hotcakes down the hatch and you initiate a countdown, of 2-3 days, to death. Some people do survive, but only if they pass safely through that 2-3 day period when the attack on your body’s cells is at it’s peak…Ricin can be separated from the seeds through the process of making castor oil. The poison achieved international fame through implication in the assassination of Bulgarian journalist named Markov in 1978, who was attacked whilst living in exile in the UK. His killer managed to inject a small amount of ricin into his body via the sharpened tip of an umbrella…With no known antidote or vaccine to the substance, of which just a 1/1000th of a gram could kill a man, soon after Markov’s death Ricin was moved onto the List of Potential weapons for BioTerrorism. Avoid at all costs.
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