A 19-year-old Oxford man founding laying in the road Sept. 6 with his pants around his ankles is fortunate to be alive after ingesting a common, yet toxic, ornamental flower used by some to get high and cause hallucinations.
Nancy Hunger, EMS coordinator for the Oxford Fire Department, wants to warn kids and adults about the health dangers associated with the Datura genus of flowering plants.
‘If a parent didn’t know any better and they had these growing in their yard, what they think is harmless could hurt or even kill their kids,? she said.
The Datura genus consists of 12-15 species of flowering plants with common names like Angel’s Trumpet, Devil’s Trumpet, Moonflower, Thorn-apple, Devil’s Weed, Devil’s Cucumber and Pricklyburr.
Datura plants produce spiney seed pods and large white, yellow, pink or purple trumpet-shaped flowers. Seeds resemble those from a tomato as both plants are in the same family.
All parts of the Datura plant are psychoactive and toxic, but the seeds ? which can be eaten, brewed into tea or ground up or smoked ? contain the greatest concentration of poison. ‘With this particular flower they use the seeds a lot,? said Harvy Holland, EMS coordinator for POH Medical Center in Pontiac. ‘They can grind’em up and do different things with them.?
No matter what the species of Datura, the effects are similar when ingested.
Small doses drain energy and make the user feel tired. Larger doses cause hallucinations, unconsciousness, seizures, coma or death.
Symptoms of Datura consumption include agitation, combative or violent behavior, confusion, hallucinations, intense thirst, headaches, nausea, fever, high blood pressure, difficulty swallowing and speaking, blurred vision, sensitivity to light and hyperthermia (heatstroke).
‘These people are taking an awful chance doing this,? Holland said. ‘Just in the last couple weeks, we’ve had a few cases of it. It was something that we hadn’t seen in a long time.?
When the 19-year-old Oxford man was found wandering in the middle of the highway near the intersection of N. Washington (M-24) and East streets shortly before 11 p.m., the police report indicated he was conscious, but not responsive to commands.
The young man was unable to communicate or walk. His eyes were glassy and his breathing shallow.
‘He had a blank stare and did not seem to recognize anything,? reported Officer John Chiera. ‘He could not answer any questions.?
When the fire department arrived, the young man apparently fought with paramedics attempting to place an IV in him, according to Hunger. He was described as ‘agitated? and ‘combative.?
The young man apparently had eaten an unknown quantity of the seeds, according to Hunger. When police asked the young man’s brother if the victim had been taking any drugs, the sibling gave the officer two green-colored seed pods.
Because there is no antidote for Datura poisoning, patients typically have their stomachs pumped and activated charcoal, which absorbs contaminants, administered through a tube snaked up their nose.
‘It’s a very unpleasant treatment,? Holland said. ‘If these young people could see what happens to you when you wind up in the hospital, a lot of them would decide that’s not for them.?
Holland said it’s important to get the word out, particularly to young people, about the dangers of ingesting Dutura plants/seeds and how easy it is to overdose. ‘How much is too much? I’m sure they don’t know that,? he said. ‘If they want to experiment with it, they’re taking their health, if not their lives, into their hands each time they do it.?
Even if a user is fortunate enough not to die, he or she can still suffer kidney failure, liver failure or brain damage.
‘You can be a very young person with a very old body because of it,? Holland said.