Angel's Trumpet (I believe referring to Datura) Warning!!

Got this notice from a lady at another garden club but is a warning ALL need to be aware of!!

"Angels Trumpets are toxic and we should not "ingest" and part of
these plants! However, read what happened to me!!!

My angels trumpets sent me to the emergency room today and I did not eat, drink or smoke any part of my plants!!!
I decided I would wash off my plants with a strong hosing of water to rid them of the caterpillars that are devouring them. My plants are about 6 feet tall (I am 5 foot tall) and as I hosed the plants off water dripped off the leaves into my hair and face.
I was also perspiring (Surprise in this heat!!!) and washed my left hand (which I had used to turn leaves or break off spent blooms) with the cool water from my hose and wiped my face. About 1/2 hour later when I came inside, I noticed my vision was
blurred and my eyes felt dry and burning. I assumed it was from the salt in my perspiration. Then I looked in the mirror and immediately became frightened. My pupils were huge!!! A friend drove me to the emergency room, where, thanks to a doctor
who not only owns angels trumpets but has a keen interest in toxic plants, I was diagnosed immediately with atropine poisoning.

Here were (and are) my symptoms:

blurred vision, dilated pupils, extreme thirst, headache, dizziness (I'm blond so didn't think that was unusual!!), slight nausea, rapid pulse, and elevated blood pressure (mine was 168 over 86). Symptoms last from 1 to 3 days. Apparently
I was not poisoned sufficiently enough to warrant any other treatment than to be told to wear dark glasses and go home. (Still have blurred vision, burning dry eyes and a headache.)

So please be very careful around your angel trumpets!!! Let the caterpillars eat them and leave spent blooms alone. I called or spoke to some of my friends and neighbors who have them and then decided to email as many people as I could. Please spread the word."

I wouldn't stop growing this plant regardless; however precautions CAN be taken to prevent these things from happening in MOST cases.

1) research all plants you plan to grow so you are aware of any and all things concerning them
2) wear gloves--in this case I would not think even long, rubber gloves too much
3) wash with soap and hot/warm water after contact with leaves, sap, etc for ANY plant---better safe than sorry?!!

I find Datura (Thorn Apple/Angel's Trumpet) to have an unpleasant scent to the leaves, blossoms and all parts so when I grew one last year I always either wore gloves or washed with soap and water as soon as possible after contact with these--and the same with my gourd vines. Such smelly plants!! hehehe I MUCH prefer Brugmansia to Datura but some Datura's have very lovely flowers as well!!

Bonnie : )

It's a scary fact and you're lucky you got a practitioner that was familiar with it. The name "atropine" is accredited to the greek fate "atropos," the one that severed the thread of life. It was thought to have migrated to the alkaloid because of the legend that the three fates share one all-seeing eye and atropine tends to dilate your pupils.. Also, the psychedelic properties imbue shamans and healers with an "all seeing" state of mind in which they are able to postpone the cutting of villiager's life thread.

This has been your daily ethnobotanical PSA. ;)

Thanks for your input naien. Bonnie

Bonnie: you're a gem. Thanks for alerting all of us. Mine is only 3' tall but you've taught me a lot! Thanks so very much.

naien ... that was tooooooo funny! :o)

I'm going to buy some of those disposable gloves with the powder inside. I keep forgetting and touching my Brugs etc and I do sometimes have dizziness and blurred vision, etc!! Not to be played with I think? Most poisons can build up in yor body til there is either a toxic buildup or you become immune--not something I want to risk either way. You know? Bonnie