Roman Narcotics

[Andrew Dalby]

The laurel I mean is "mountain laurel", the smaller, wild veriety of Rhodedendron. When it crosses with a Rhodedendron it is very odd, huge leaves, sometimes as big as six inches long and really wide. I saw a whole forest full of these mutants once.

 

I don't think that one is known in Europe at all.

[Lost_Warrior]

At some point I'll post a picture then

[Pantagathus]

At some point I'll post a picture then

Real Mountain Laurel is Kalmia latifolia, the large leaf tree you're thinking of LW is Rhododendron degronianum but it is common in the Appalachains for people to call it 'mountain laurel'.

 

I love hikes that take you through 'tunnels' of these trees... they are supremely lovely.

[Andrew Dalby]

At some point I'll post a picture then

Real Mountain Laurel is Kalmia latifolia, the large leaf tree you're thinking of LW is Rhododendron degronianum but it is common in the Appalachains for people to call it 'mountain laurel'.

 

I love hikes that take you through 'tunnels' of these trees... they are supremely lovely.

 

Ah, I did wonder about that. Neither is familiar in Europe, but it's certainly true that Kalmia latifolia is very poisonous. I read an article about the strange deaths occurring in New England around 1900 because people had been eating partridges that had fed on these leaves!

[Pantagathus]

Ah, I did wonder about that. Neither is familiar in Europe, but it's certainly true that Kalmia latifolia is very poisonous. I read an article about the strange deaths occurring in New England around 1900 because people had been eating partridges that had fed on these leaves!

Many plants in the Ericaceae family have the possibility of having grayanotoxin in them.

 

Beware of wild honey if there is any of these trees & plants nearby! Apparently Rhododendron ponticum found around the Black Sea was especially noted for this poison.

 

In fact, it's quite humorous to note that Pliny and Strabo both have anecdotes about the locals using this poisoned honey against Xenophon's and later against Pompey's armies!

Edited August 18, 2006 by Pantagathus

[Lost_Warrior]

Ah, my mountain laurel has tiny leaves, only about 2 or 3 inches long. Unfortunately the plant is a young transplant (I was surpremely saddened that my new home had no mountain laurel, only rhodedendrons, so I moved one from my dad's (he was cutting down my beloved laurel!) I brought three, only one survived.) It only got one bloom on it this year, and we were surprised to find that. But I haven't a picture of it in bloom.

 

I hope the deer leave enough leaves on it that it survives the winter. We thought it wouldn't this past year.

[Andrew Dalby]

Ah, my mountain laurel has tiny leaves, only about 2 or 3 inches long. Unfortunately the plant is a young transplant (I was surpremely saddened that my new home had no mountain laurel, only rhodedendrons, so I moved one from my dad's (he was cutting down my beloved laurel!) I brought three, only one survived.) It only got one bloom on it this year, and we were surprised to find that. But I haven't a picture of it in bloom.

 

I hope the deer leave enough leaves on it that it survives the winter. We thought it wouldn't this past year.

 

It sounds as though you'd better avoid eating local venison, then.

Edited August 19, 2006 by Andrew Dalby

[Lost_Warrior]

haha yea. I tend not to eat my "landscaping" anyway

 

The picture is up in my gallery btw.

[Pertinax]

Laurel contains quite a dose of cyanogenic glycoside . Chewing the seeds can lead to poisoning , the cherry laurel is the one divisive to cattle/ruminants , using the leaves instead of bay (they are similar) would cause vomiting.The principle is the same as eating the bitter kernel of almonds-cyanide.

[M. Porcius Cato]

Laurel contains quite a dose of cyanogenic glycoside . Chewing the seeds can lead to poisoning , the cherry laurel is the one divisive to cattle/ruminants , using the leaves instead of bay (they are similar) would cause vomiting.The principle is the same as eating the bitter kernel of almonds-cyanide.

 

So, no trance, just poisoning. No wonder they had back-up Pythiae.

[Andrew Dalby]

Laurel contains quite a dose of cyanogenic glycoside . Chewing the seeds can lead to poisoning , the cherry laurel is the one divisive to cattle/ruminants , using the leaves instead of bay (they are similar) would cause vomiting.The principle is the same as eating the bitter kernel of almonds-cyanide.

 

Hold on, Pertinax: in that first sentence, which plant do you mean by laurel?

[Pertinax]

Laurel contains quite a dose of cyanogenic glycoside . Chewing the seeds can lead to poisoning , the cherry laurel is the one divisive to cattle/ruminants , using the leaves instead of bay (they are similar) would cause vomiting.The principle is the same as eating the bitter kernel of almonds-cyanide.

 

So, no trance, just poisoning. No wonder they had back-up Pythiae.

 

Perhaps the explicit show of chewing the leaves ( which would be purgative rather than deadly) was to give a theatrical effect, a considerable number of alternative hallucogens and intoxicants would have been known and possibly ingested without "show" .

[M. Porcius Cato]

Perhaps the explicit show of chewing the leaves ( which would be purgative rather than deadly) was to give a theatrical effect, a considerable number of alternative hallucogens and intoxicants would have been known and possibly ingested without "show" .

 

The "show" of vomiting? Strange sense of theatre!

[WotWotius]

In fact, it's quite humorous to note that Pliny and Strabo both have anecdotes about the locals using this poisoned honey against Xenophon's and later against Pompey's armies!

 

So how exactly was this poisoned honey used against enemies? Was there food poisened with it? or was it somehow used in battle?

[Pertinax]

In fact, it's quite humorous to note that Pliny and Strabo both have anecdotes about the locals using this poisoned honey against Xenophon's and later against Pompey's armies!

 

So how exactly was this poisoned honey used against enemies? Was there food poisened with it? or was it somehow used in battle?

 

It would have to be ingested, and would probably be a "delerient/asthenic" type poison, ie: you would be debilitated ( dizinness, nausea, a general enteric inflammation) but not killed-a far easier feat than stabbing several thousand people with a poisoned blade :stretcher: or hurling large pots of flaming honey at them.Look at my "poisons" guide in my blog for an idea of possible side effects:

http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?automo...&&st=30

 

I quite like these new icons.