While many types of plants contain levels of toxins for defense from insects and other predators, this list of plants are extremely lethal to humans. When foraging for plants to eat in the forest, be sure not to have any of these such as the "Angels Trumpet" on your menu.
What could be sweeter than the sound of an angel’s trumpet? Perhaps the moaning agony of a trip that won’t end. Related to petunias, tomatoes and potatoes, the angel’s trumpet (datura stramonium) is a highly effective hallucinogen, but should not be consumed for recreational purposes as it can also be lethal. According to wikipedia: “The active ingredients are atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine which are classified as deliriants, or anticholinergics. Due to the elevated risk of overdose in uninformed users, many hospitalizations, and some deaths, are reported from recreational use.” This common plant also goes by many other names, including jimson weed, stink weed, loco weed, and devil’s snare. One 18-year-old who was house-sitting alone for his uncle recounts how he decided to prepare some angel’s trumpet tea in curiosity and almost died (a friend burst in on him convulsing on the bathroom floor and the authorities assumed he was on an acid trip).
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My late husband's hobby was growing as many varieties of brugmansia as he could find. "Angel's Trumpets" is the common name for both Datura and Brugmansia, although they are not the same genus (however, they used to be thought so). Datura is more of an herb, and Brugmansia is a shrub or a tree (they can grow to 20 ft high in the right climate). Both plants are extremely toxic and some municipalities actually prohibit the purchase, sale or cultivation of either or both Brugmansia and Datura. But the blossoms are exquisitely gorgeous, so it's worth the risk (at least my husband thought so).
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Ahhh.. Scopolamine.. that is the stuff of nightmares.
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Cute, but clearly not written by a botanist. The overhype on Castor and the glaring ommission of Dichapetalum cymosum are quite telling.
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