Tuesday 31 July 2012

BURUNDANGA : Angel's trumpets & zombies

The last few years, there's one word that strikes my mind whenever I admire the swaying blooms of my Brugmansias. It's again that time of the year.



 Every year in Colombia & neighbouring countries, but also Thailand, there are quite a few reported cases of the criminal use of burundanga, a mysterious drug that allegedly turns people into human puppets. These stories warn people that, for example, a young woman was recently assaulted after receiving a poisoned business card at a gas station. Shortly after handling the attacker’s card she began to feel dizzy and was nearly attacked by the thieves. Customers have been robbed by a salesman after eating spicy food, a girl came to hospital only to find out she was abducted and sexually abused, etc.

Such stories strongly warned the reader to beware doped cards and this new, mysterious drug: the dreaded ‘burundanga' ! Some of these stories are definitely false or just a myth, but Burundanga isn’t made up. And it might be more dangerous than even the myth makes it out to be.

I'm sure that all of you Angel's Trumpets' lovers and admirers out there know that all parts of Brugmansia and Datura plants are poisonous both to humans and animals. I've heard strange stories from people who were, to mildly put it, some sort of seekers of visionary experiences. They claimed that chewing the seeds of these plants gave them heavy hallucinations for days. Other than a raised eyebrow, at the time being my conclusion was that every fool has it's rainbow and that there was obviously a reason why these plants were called locoweed, Jimson weed, the devil’s cucumber and so on and so forth.
Nevertheless, upon watching the video on the world's scariest drug, and at the same time being a huge admirer of these astonishing plants, I was determined to find out what's hiding behind the pretty face.


So basically, it all starts with Brugmansia plant, which has a high content of scopolamine (burundanga) – an extremely toxic chemical that can be lethal to humans, and that produces psychoactive effects. Its Spanish name, El Borrachero (The Drunkard), is even more instructive. The theory, supported by health officials and victims, is that under the influence of burundanga, people are robbed of their free will and turned into puppets, completely susceptible to the suggestions of criminals.
What’s really scary about this drug is the ease that it can be administered. It can be ingested, inhaled, or imbibed. One of the myths is that you can just blow it in people’s faces. And while both toxic clouds of powder and doped business cards are unlikely to be true, the drug should be quite easy to slip into an unsuspecting person’s drink or food. Victims are said to become docile and agreeable ‘zombies’ who are not only compliant with requests but even eager to help. Stories circulate about people who have invited robbers into their own homes under the effects of burundanga. In his brilliant investigative article on Burundanga,  Nick Olle of Global Mail writes that ''
according to Colonel Mariano Botero Coy of the Bogotá Metropolitan Police, the modus operandi of these criminals - and he says they are generally gangs rather than individuals - is true to the stereotype.
"In many cases it is a man alone in a nightspot and a woman manages to put the substance in his drink," he says.
"The victim then loses their free will; they are conscious of what is happening but they lose their free will."
There's even a verb for this type of crime - burundangear. And actor Matías Maldonado, has twice been a victim. Both times - in 2003 and 2005 - he was "in the context of seduction…vulnerable" in a gay district of downtown Bogotá. His recollection of the first time he was drugged amounts to waking up confused and discovering his bank account was empty. But on the second occasion, he remembers going to an ATM with a man he'd met in a bar. "I was completely conscious at this stage," he says, "we returned to the bar and I used the money I'd withdrawn to buy drinks.
"I can only assume that at this point he spiked my drink and we went back to the ATM and emptied my account. I don't remember this part but the next day, I still had my bank card but there was a balance of zero.
"It's incredible to think that this can happen, that you can freely give the code to your bank account to someone. There are even cases where people take someone to their home, open the door and help them clear everything out." The article continues about modern burundanga ajd a tendency in Colombia to use the terms "scopolamine" and burundanga as a catchall for all cases in which criminals take advantage of drugged victims. The reality is that many of these cases now involve new burundanga or other illicit cocktails that may or may not include scopolamine.
Just like Brugmansia, there are limitless records of stories on Datura stramonium about it being traditionally used by voodoo sorcerers to create subservient zombies from living humans.
Before you are scared off from this blog post and from Angel's trumpets in general, have in mind
that apart from their undeniable beatuy, some good does come from these plants. Its alkaloid ingredients have become widely used in medicine as sedatives and amnesiacs. Hyoscyamine can help control the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and if you have ever had your pupils dilated and it might have been with scopolamine.
 Now that there's some info revealed behind this pretty face, I'm trying to find reasons why I, myself, am so amazed by sheer beauty of this plants and their smell, and why, upon visiting a garden center, I'm drawn to any variety of Brugmansias but also Daturas, secretly hoping that it might be another new variety that I still haven't added to my collection. Is this what happens when a person gets obsessed with growing Brugmansias? Could it be that the narcotic effect of the first open flower creates an unyielding hunger for more....? Is the slowly developing addiction to scopolamine unconsciously forcing the grower to dream of acquiring more and more Brugmansia plants, because this means a larger dose of smell and thereby more narcotic? Does the intoxifying effect on the grower explain, why so many of them become so passionated about Brugmansia that they start neglecting other important things in life? If so, my dear Brugmansia-lovers, you have been burundangeared (yes, there's even a verb for this type of addiction/crime - burundangear) forever to remain zombies...

27 komentari:

gardenbrae said...

Lady Greenthumbs Breaking Bad in the garden with brugmansia of all sorts. Great blog!

Flower Pot said...

What a beautiful plant with some scary side effects. Thanks for the information.

Anonymous said...

Where can I buy the seeds for this?

Anonymous said...

hello
i will like to buy also the seeds of beautifull angel trompets

tamboenman said...

Wherever do you get your inspiration from? This site is just awesome! I am really keen on finding out more. Please keep me updated periodically as I would this is too good to miss!
Regards,

Unknown said...

Did you ever find a seller I'm interested as well

Unknown said...

Vary interesting and beautiful plant.
Would make a wonderful addition.
Any one who has some seeds let me know id like to buy some.

Anonymous said...

What a load of B.S. in that video. There are so many holes in that urban myth / folklore. For 1 they say you act normal under the influence - no signs of intoxication, yet they call it the Borracho tree. That means drunkard in Spanish. If you appear lucid then why call it the drunk person tree ?
The documentary guy says something like how it looks so beautiful you would want to give a flower to your mother but then there would bee dire consequences. No there wouldn't. She would have a beautiful flower that smells awesome and last only a few hours.
The precautions with the gloves and mask were stupid. You would have to ingest it. The result would be a very nasty trip, death or both. This zombie stuff is a joke. Scopalamine is widely used in modern medicine. If it was so effective at stripping someone of their free will and making them zombie slaves don't you think the CIA would have put it to far greater use. Cmmon people. The CIA did more experiments with LSD thinking it had greater promise for such use. Then they gave up on it back in the 50's.

Maelstrom said...

All you people want seeds now after watching the video. That is funny and shows your naivete.
I am a burundangear much the same as Lady Greenthumb. I had 3 varieties in my yard: orange, pink and white. The flowers are beautifully hypnotic and smell like the kingdom of heaven.
The plant is quite prevalent in the southern U.S. It's flowers, like many of the nightshade / Solonaceae family, fully open only at night.
If any of you clowns really want to purchase seeds I'm sure I could find some.

Anonymous said...

The documentary was 100 % he said / she said. There was not a single shred of scientific methodology applied. The closest thing was interviewing a purported doctor.
A Dr of folklore apparently.

I do believe people poison other people with it. They then steal from the unfortunate victim who lies motionless on the floor foaming at the mouth.

JenNJuice57 said...

Whoever is wanting the seeds now are more likely to do want the other ppl has did. Rob them or something bad. So Hell No! Dont sell them Seeds!

Unknown said...

Grew wild across the street from my grandmas' house when I was a kid. When my wife was in high school, 4 of her friends tried to boil the flowers like tea and had to get their stomach pumped. Btw I live in Hawaii

Unknown said...

Flowers and roots have high levels of datura in them. Also the scopolamine that gets prescribed is at extremely low levels. Try taking 20x the prescribed dose and see what happens... Devils trumpet as its called in Hawaii can give hallucinations, sweats and chills, and can cause coma just from the juice from the flowers.

Maelstrom said...

I was being facetious. I wouldn't sell some idiot Brugmanzia seeds. He obviously thinks he can make someone his personal zombie slave when, in all likelihood, he would kill the victim.

Anonymous said...

is it real?

Unknown said...

Were you able to obtain seeds?

Anonymous said...

Can datura or angels trumpet grow anywhere else like Africa or something ?

Anonymous said...

The stories/myths you have read or heard are True and even Worse. My family comes from the Southern part of Mexico where there isn't any Free Public School's like in the U.S.A. Which Sadly means no-one is Educated.In other words the Blind leading the Blind.Rape, Violence,and Molestation becomes the normal day of life for a child growing up in these parts of the World. I was lucky to have been the first in my family to be born in the U.S.A. Where my family Fled away to Safety even Afraid of there own Brothers and Sisters. Long Sad Sick/Fucking True Story Cut Short. Some plant life should be Extinct Just like Pedophiles. God Gave Us Free Will. What gives Someone else the Right to take it Away! Please Be Aware of this Dangerous Drug. Our Children's Lives are More Important than this Plant/Flower.

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Anonymous said...

Your a fukn idiot and know nothing. The CIA did use this until they got something much better. Stupid faggot.

Maelstrom said...

Wow anonymous - thanks for your enlightening response. I can tell by your grammar that you must have an 8th grade level education. Your level of aggression behind a keyboard suggests that you have been beaten up and bullied quite a bit. Your choice of insults suggests you are insecure in your sexuality. Just go for it duuude.

Maelstrom said...

And first generation Mexican-American Anonymous: there is no reason for Brugmansia to be extinct. It is a beautiful plant. There is a reason it is highly desirable as a garden ornamental. There is an evolutionary reason that it has the alkaloids it does. Just because people stupidly misuse it is no reason to be angry at a non-sentient plant. Perhaps the A holes that abuse it should be. I don't believe that scopalamine, or anything, removes free will. If it did then the CIA would be interrogating everyone at GITMO with it. Quit demonizing a frickin plant.

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