Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Funny quote from Planthropology

I have been reading a new book by Ken Druse called Planthropology: The Myths, Mysteries and Miracles of My Garden Favorites.  It's a fun read if you're a plant-aholic, like I am.  The book is a well-written hodge-podge of information and fascinating little stories about plants and how we, as humans, relate to them.  Tonight I was reading a section on medicinal plants and their potential lethality in large doses.  Ken writes that many plants with medicinal uses are fatal in large amounts.  Here's a passage that I particularly enjoyed:

By now, you are probably thinking about never venturing out into the garden again.  It's true that some plants make one sick if eaten, others cause a rash if touched, and several may even cause immediate and drastic results; I've heard, for example, that the first symptom of yew poisoning is death.

I thought that was an eloquent way of putting it.

3 comments:

  1. Yes, I guess it wouldn't be a good idea to pick random plants to toss into our salad. :)

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  2. But it makes you wonder how plants were first discovered to heal or harm. How many pioneers died!

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  3. Snap! I'm reading this book at the moment too! It's wonderful :)

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