U.K. - AFP
Poison Garden opens its doors in Northumberland
Mon Feb 28,10:57 AM ET
LONDON (AFP) - A groundbreaking -- and deadly -- Poison Garden threw open its doors in Northumberland with a much talked about collection of cannabis plants, opium poppies and the coca plant that is the source of cocaine.
Mind-bending magic mushrooms, poisonous foxgloves, deadly nightshades, tobacco plants and wild lettuce tranquillisers are also among the 50 dangerous plants cultivated in the garden at Alnwick Castle, designed by Belgian landscape artist Peter Virtz.
To highlight its hazardous nature, the Poison Garden's beds are laid in the shape of flickering flames. Visitors will be also escorted through the grounds, where the most deadly plants are being kept behind security bars.
The 400,000-pound garden is the brainchild of Jane, Duchess of Northumberland, who is turning Alnwick Castle -- a backdrop to Harry Potter (news - web sites) movies -- into a major draw for Britain's legion of horticultural enthusiasts.
"The garden's appeal of danger presents teachers and parents with a new avenue to tackle drug awareness with young people," said the duchess, who had to get Home Office permission to create the garden.
"After all, young people are more fascinated by what plants can kill you than what plants are good for you."
Well, Winder shouldn't most of us already be dead then according to that site? Glad Sally was spared a mention.
:lol:
Seeing as how wild lettuce was mentioned.
It is probably what I call milk lettuce or opium lettuce which, secrets a thick milky residue. I smoked some of this years ago for stress and it does actually chill one out.
It grows all over the place where I am and the stem is interesting with a hexagonal shape and a hole in the middle.
I have been wondering for some time now if this could possibly be cross bred with SD.
A bit of interesting stuff about Opium Lettuce.
"//http://www.planetbotanic.ca/fact_sheets/wild_lettuce_fs.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wild lettuce is just about as old a painkiller as opium. When the Roman emperor Augustus fell seriously ill he was treated with Lactuca virosa. He survived his run-in with the grim reaper and had a temple and a statue erected in the plant’s honor. Sadly, the statue does not survive, and I can’t think of any other such monument celebrating the virtues of a vegetable. Clearly we are talking about a different space and time.
In the 16th century, Gerard said this of wild lettuce: " it procures sleep, asswages paine, moves the courses in women, and is drunke against the stingings of scorpions and bitings of spiders. The seed taken in drinke, like as the garden lettuce, hindreth generation of seed and venereous imaginations.