How I Approached a Sacred Jimsonweed Plant
Hello homesteaders, today I approached a plant known as Jimsonweed. Ever since I was born, I have not been opportune to see such a plant. My visit to a friend who paid a bride price to his wife's family exposed me to such a wonderful plant. When I and other friends accompanied our friend to his wife's village to pay the bride price, I saw the Jimsonweed in one of the close buildings where we went to pay the bride price for our friend. I have to take pictures of the plant for proper documentation on Hive.
When I asked the people there about the plant, I was told that the plant is very sacred and also poisonous. Some people argued that the plant is very medicinal and can be used to cure many illnesses through traditional means. After so many questions about the plant from people, I was opportune to understand deeply about the plant. Through my gathering from the people, I understood that the plant is very poisonous and can kill if anyone eats the leaf. I also understood that many herbalists make use of plant seeds for the treatment of their patients. Before leaving the place for the bride price, some people told me that the Jimsonweed plant has a spiritual meaning it's used by those who practice spirituality.
When I went home with the pictures I took about the Jimsonweed plant (Datura stramonium), I showed them a neighbor for more clarification. The neighbor told me that the Jimsonweed known as Datura stramonium can be used to scare snakes away from coming close to people's houses. He said that the smell from the plant will not allow snakes to come closer to anywhere it's planted. I think the benefits of the jimsonweed to our surrounding is very important.
From observation, the Jimsonweed has many stems and the tree looks to be tall. The leaf is green in color while the fruit has an egg shape. Some of the fruit seems to have dried from the plant stem thereby making the seed fall off from the fruit. The Jimsonweed can survive so many types of soil and in some cases, the plant uses its hand to germinate even without planting. Just like the one I pictured, I was told that the plant germinated by its hand without anyone planting it.
My suggestion about the Jimsonweed:
Since the plant is said to be poisonous and can kill, I don't think it'll be a good idea to allow such a dangerous plant around where people are living. I pointed out this point because children who may stay around where the plant is growing may not know about the side effect of the plant. Some children may even harvest and play with the leaf and in the end, they may put their hand inside their mouth. If any child touches his/her mouth after touching or chewing the Jimsonweed, the child may die. This is the more reason I'm suggesting that the plant be planted properly where the people understand the effect and know how to manage it.
In most cases plants with such thorns are used for defence of its self if there is some eternal attack. I have seen most plants like jimsonweed grown in some many places
So in your view, you're suggesting that jimsonweed should be allowed close to our homes. What of children? because of the danger to the plant.
I remember when I was younger, some of the older kids where talking about this plant, since it grew in our nearby creek. One of my friends stayed over at another friends house, and they eat the seeds. The one who eat less end up passing out, while the other who eat more ended up leaving the house, and then left the house with no shirt in the cold weather, and went down the street, and was trying to get into a home he thought was his, then ended up going across the street and doing the same. Only this house was a cops home!
Luckily they ended up calling an abulance for him, and took him to the hospital to pump his stomach.
Posted using WeedCash Network
Jimsonweed is very poisonous and should be handled carefully, especially where people with low knowledge about the negative effect of the plant. A woman also told me that some people smoke jimsonweed as a cigarette.
Yeah my friend almost died that night, he’s very lucky the authorities found him. That’s crazy about smoking it!