Jimson weed Facts
Jimson weed Facts
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| Interesting Jimson weed Facts: |
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| Jimson weed grows in the form of bush that can reach 2 to 5 feet in height. It has pale yellow-green stem that produces numerous branches. |
| Jimson weed has white-colored, long, thick and fibrous root. |
| Jimson weed develops large, irregularly lobed leaves with serrated edges. They are soft and have smooth texture. Leaves are dark green on the upper side, and light-green on the underside. |
| Jimson weed produces trumpet-shaped flowers that grow from the axils of leaves or from the branching points of the stem. They can be white, creamy or pale purple in color. |
| Jimson weed blooms during the spring. Flowers open at night and attract moths, main pollinators of this plant. |
| Fruit of Jimson weed is oval-shaped, spiny capsule. It consists of four chambers that are filled with numerous small black seed. |
| One acre of Jimson weed produced 700 pounds of seed. Birds play important role in dispersal of seed. |
| All parts of Jimson weed contain toxic alkaloids (group of chemicals) such as atropine, scopolamine and hyoscyamine. Ingestion of Jimson weed induces delirium, drying of mouth, blurred vision, tachycardia (accelerated heart rate), slurred speech and elevation of body temperature. Unpleasant effects of Jimson weed are summarized in the phrase: "Red as a beet, dry as a bone, blind as a bat, mad as a hatter". |
| Symptoms of Jimson weed intoxication may last 24 to 48 hours, because psychoactive substances disturb digestion and prevent normal metabolism and elimination of the waste from the body. |
| Jimson weed is also known as devil's trumpet, hell's bells or Devil's snare because of its psychoactive effects. |
| Atropine isolated from Jimson weed has application in ophthalmology. It is used for dilation of pupils during the eye surgery. Also, atropine can be used as an antidote for the nerve gas poisoning. |
| Hyoscyamine is an active ingredient of Dramamine and Benadryl, drugs used in treatment of nausea. |
| Jimson weed is used in treatment of asthma in the Ayurvedic medicine. Native Americans used Jimson weed as an anesthetic during the setting of broken bones. |
| Native Americans used Jimson weed for various spiritual rituals due to strong hallucinogenic effects that this plant produces. |
| Jimson weed is an annual plant, which means that it completes its life cycle in one year. |
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