the garden can be a scary place, so be forewarned!
1. the medicinal belladonna's roots, leaves and berries are all deadly and used to tip poisoned arrows back in the day. this plant starts its killing spree by paralyzing the nervous system of its victim...and then, you die.
2. everybody knows hemlock and oleander will kill you, but what about rhododendrons? apparently people have died from sucking the nectar from the blossoms or drinking tea made from its leaves (?); the greeks found the honey also poisonous from bees who fed on azaleas, rhododendrons, oleander or dwarf laurel.
3. amanita, also known as the "destroying angel" mushroom, has no known antidotes for destroying your liver and killing you, but a few have survived after receiving a transplant.
4. eating the berries of the lily of the valley can lead to a coma followed by heart failure, which eventually leads to -you guessed it!- death.
5. et tu, foxglove? yes: headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blurred vision, delirium, slow or irregular pulse, distortion of colors and finally, death caused by ventricular fibrillation!
6. dont eat the berries of jimsonweed or tea made from its leaves if you dont want to die...or be blind as a bat.
8. i love monkshood! but, dont touch it: it can kill you in as fast as ten minutes after absorption through your skin.
9. rhubarb stalks make a delicious pie, but the leaves, if eaten will cause the calcium content of your blood to drop, you'll have a heart attack and then, die.
10. although my great grandma insisted on taking a spoonful daily of castor oil, two well chewed beans from the castor bean plant can put you six feet under.
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