The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1902-02-01
SOME NARCOTIC PLANTS.
STRANGE iNTOxIcANT9 USED BY
SOUTH AMERICAN NATIVES.

tion Caused by Pareca, q Snuff Used
by Amazon River Indians-Sleepy Grass
and the Fruit of the Unganu Tree.
Narcotics so appeal to the imagina-
tion, that sober statements are diff
cult. Travellers tales, intending truth,
are often exaggerated. Even ]. U.
Lloyd imagines fungus that Is OF the
marvellous, and supposes hidden COM
bination of the elements that alone
equals all the narcotics, and fears 1t
will destroy our civilization and even
exterminate mankind.
The myths Of the Upas tree are so
inwrought that 1t may be news that 1t
is growing in the midst of coffee plan
tations, birds and lizards on Its
branches; properly treated, the inner
bark can be used for garments.
Omitting the Rhus family, passing
the Aminitas that gathers In the mush-
room zealots, only mentioning the
purple larkspur that kills sheep, In
one case 25O died Of 500 affected; the
"snow on the mountain" spurge that
blisters like red-hot iron, and Its kin
the Caper spurge, of which a few seeds
endanger life; the laurel deadly to
sheep and horse and rendering poison
GUS the flesh of animals that may be
| themselves immune to the plant; the
| loco weed so injurious to stock that
the state of Colorado paid out in four
years 100000 to check its ravages,
| so serious is 1t that horse may be so
| locoed as to refuse other food These
are all we'll known, but few OF tho
| less noted are pareca, hidery-rhay-
| quill. sleepy grass, darnell and tutu.
On the Amazon river, several Indian
Wood says is made ok the seeds of
species of Inga; when bout of snuff
taking is determined on the people
become highly intoxicated and then
use the snuff.
! The effect of pareca Is so violent that
the taker drops as if shot, and lies in
sensible for some time; those more ac-
customed are highly excited; causing
them to dance and sing as II mad; the
effect soon subsidies; other tribes use
it to repel ague during the wet sea-
son. Lieut. w. J. Herndon, of the
United States navy, in 1851 descend
ed the Amazon; he traded for pareca
and the apparatus for using 1t and
saw It in use and used it. When lost
in the woods, nearly dead from ex-
haustion and hunger and fever. unable
to 60 further, Lieut. Herndon took the
pareca snuff. Il instantly fell drunk
on the hammock, but with peculiar
intoxication, which acted on my limbs
like an electric shock; on rising
put my foot to the ground, and to my
my surprise felt no pain. At first
thought 1 dreamed; even walked
without being convinced" He then
beat the two Indians guides, and
walked the two remaining hours o1
daylight.
Hidery-guill-rhay. or Indian tobac'
co, not plaintain or lobelia, is plant
used by Indians of British Columbia
and Southern Alaska, discontinued by
mainland Indians, but used until 1871
or 1879 by the Hidas Of Queen Char
lotte islands.
The plant dried over fire was pound
ed with lime into cakes, chewed OF
pouched in the cheek; the effect was
akin to tobacco or opium. The use
and growth of the plant has ceased
supplanted by tobacco.
Sleepy grass is Stipa. There arr
100 species: s. inebrians, s. siberics
arc poisonous and are found in New
Mexico, Texas and Siberia. Sleepy
grass has most injurious effec
on horses and sheep. 1t is a stronl
narcotic or sedative, causing profount
sleep or stupor lasting "a to 48 hours
The horse after eating it is pitiabl
object, head and tail dropping, culver
ing, sweat pouring down his sides
, painting and palpitating. The gras
acts as q powerful narcotic, diuretic
, sudorific and irritant Of the respirator.
and cardiac organs. 1t Is distinct from
the loco weed.
Darnel, Lolium temulentum, indigo
nous to the old world, introduced int
the United States, apt to grow anon
, wheat and grain, is narcotic, produce
, vertigo, dizziness, headache and spe
!. cies Of drunkenness; often eaten Il
bread. Beer, in which darnel is an In
gredient, is drank with impunity. !
fatal case is cited of a peasant, VIII
:. had for several days lived on bread
two-thirds of which was darnel.
!, acts thus on man, dogs, sheep an
horses. Hogs, cows. ducks and pou
try, are fattened on It 1t contains
= volatile alkaloid and solid base whic
decomposes to temultenic acid. Th
= poisonous property is in the base an
: acid.
Tutu, or toot plant, Coriara rustic
liza. OF New Zealand, is also called win
. berry shrub, as wine is made from th
berries; the seeds are poisonous. 1t
;, shrubby herbaceous plant, FIVE fe'
= high; horses, goats and pigs are In
y mune, cattle and sheep may be po
), soned by it. To cattle fresh fro
:, other pastures, or exhausted, the plal
- is nearly always fatal, first stupefyin
: then causing strong excitement, deaf
8 following in a few hours. Sheep ar
cattle are fattened on It, yet whe
"a driven emay die. Sheep badly tutu'