There is no question of choosing a beautiful bouquet. After passing through the black metal gate decorated with two skulls, visitors are warned. In the Poison Garden, the leaves, flowers, fruit, or pollen are potentially fatal to humans. And the website probably won’t reassure us by confirming that “ Some people sometimes lose consciousness after inhaling toxic fumes while walking in the park “.
The Poison Garden, established in 2005 at Alnwick Garden in northern England, harbors more than a hundred species of poisonous, intoxicating or narcotic plants. ” Visitors receive a safety briefing before entering Dean Smith, Poison Garden guide, tells the BBC. A prohibition against touching, smelling or tasting something that, given the list of protected species, would be unconscionable. “The most poisonous plant preserved here is undoubtedly the castor plant, which is considered the most poisonous in the world in the Guinness Book of Records.Dean Smith tells British media. fans of the series breaking Bad: will recognize Walter White’s favorite poison;
Poppy and hemp
Aconite, laburnum, cherry laurel, bay yew, hellebore… the list goes on. And the most surprising thing is that some plants grow in our gardens. Rhododendron leaves, for example, contain grayanotoxin, a substance that attacks the nervous system of anyone who ingests it. “However, you are unlikely to eat the leaves because they taste very bad.“, wants to reassure Dean Smith. Another amazing fact, if several rhododendrons grow close to each other, they will poison the soil so that no other plant can live there. Rhododendron honey, on the other hand, has a red color and, in small doses, hallucinogenic properties. “In larger doses it is fatalHowever, the guide warns.
Amy Thorpe, gardener at Poison Garden, doesn’t take a dim view of these plants. “We are the ones at homehe explains. Some may have been there before us. So it’s up to us to learn as much as possible about their uses, as many plants here can be used to do good rather than harm.“. The deadliest can indeed be used to devise remedies. Like a nail used in the treatment of breast cancer. The decoction is also used in infusions for its circulatory benefits.
Other plants grown here have more unique properties: poppy, hemp or even khat. But make no mistake about it. Poison Garden teams conduct regular drug prevention visits and these plants are under close supervision. And of course destroyed at the end of each season.
Source: Le Figaro
