Not every plant is your friend. Not every plant is good. I know this because I’ve been researching the history of poison gardens and have planted a modest one in my small Sydney backyard. A poison garden contains only toxic plants, which could kill humans if consumed in varying quantities. The concept of a poison…
The castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) is native to the eastern Mediterranean region and is also often grown as an ornamental plant. It is typically a rather tall shrub with readily identified leaves and flowers. the fruit of the plant is the castor oil bean from which castor oil is produced. Apart from its medicinal…
Poison hemlock, (Conium maculatum), commonly just called hemlock, is most certainly not a medicinal plant. It is, however, famous from Ancient Greece, where it was used as a form of capital punishment, the most notable of its victims being the philosopher Socrates who was convicted of corrupting the youth of Athens. All parts of the…