A river in the middle of the desert and hallucinogenic flowers.steemCreated with Sketch.

in #nature7 years ago (edited)

I took a walk this morning along the Verde River in Cottonwood Arizona.
The Sacred Datura was blooming all over the place!

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Sacred Datura (Jimson Weed) grows all over the southwestern US and has been used by indigenous people in the Southwest for millenia for it's hallucinogenic properties primarily in religious rituals to invoke visions.

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Thanks for looking!

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Tried it as a young adult. Would not recommend. :) Luckily i'm still alive to not recommend it.

beautiful - Just FYI - I should be stated that nobody who doesn't know exactly what they are doing should attempt to use this plant. The same alkaloid that causes hallucinations is very toxic even fatally so at just slightly higher levels. Therapeutic uses are very low doses which vary from plant to plant. It also grows in the north coast. Anyone who has read Carlos Castaneda would be familiar with this plant. I must admit I tried at it naively as a teen but even then I was keenly aware of its toxic properties and I was given a low dose that had no effect by a ...knowledgeable person. It's a tricky plant to work with. It grows here near streams and everywhere in the fruit tree farm areas where it can get enough sun. I know we have had at least 4 deaths, one was a drowning in 3 inches of water. It is a fascinating plant that should be treated with the utmost caution.

Yes, I agree. It is extremely poisonous. I'm not encouraging anyone to try it. I didn't even mention the parts of the plants that are used to make the 'medicine' Thanks for your reply!

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