The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-12-20
SOME FACTS ABOUT UNISON
WEED AND ITS USES
First Brought to Jamestown, It Has
Spread Throughout the Land.

once upon a time the name of James,
town must have been very sharply
shortened Within the memory of
many people now living James was pro-
nounced "Jeems," in fact, we believe
that that was the accepted pronuncia-
tloh OF our Virginia fOrefathers. But
jim must have been the diminutive
OF Jeems' as well as of James: at
least we judge so, because what is
popularly known as 1.-The Unison weed"
really is the jamestown weed
Nor is there any reason to suppose
mat this contraction was made jeer.
inSly or sneeringly. More probably II
grew into use less so,' and we find
intelligent Americans to whom IT has
never occurred that there is any con-
nection whatever between jamestown
and Unison. All the same. the authori-
ties say that "Jimson' is short for
the name of the place where the English
made their first permanent settlement
in what is now the United States. and
where the Old Dominion's first capital
was situated
The Unison weed, however. is not a
native plant, but probably came to us
from South America or Asia. 1t is a
question how it got TO jamestown, but
ginia. If it was deliberately and desig-
nedly imported. IT must have besn be-
cause of it's medicinal value; certainly
not for its odor. which is vile-certalnly
not for its flowers and leaves. because
they do not compare in beauty with
those of scores of native plants. And
while this weed is now recognized as
having some medicinal value, il may not
have had that reputation then" with
Europeans. The Chinese. however, use
It TO some extent incidentally, and may
have done so from time immemOrial.
that country being little given to the
acceptance of new ideas or new rene
dies.
There is a plausible theory that the
seeds of the Jimson weed may have
been brought to jamestown in earth
that was shipped as ballast and dumped
ashore there. If so, and the seed thus
cast ashore found a resting place in a
stale lot. we may well conceive that
in due season they sprouted and grew.
and that in time the winds waited
them to other localities. 1t is fairly i'm
aginable also that what occurred at
jamestown may have occurred at
other colonial ports. At any rate. the
authorities are of the opinion that the
weed came here from a tropical land
and found congenial soil in stable lots
and other rich spots of ground, and
fiourished nightly until now. when it
is TO be seen and smelled in most States
of the Union.
Botanically it is known as "Datura
Stramonium (thorn APPLE. and two
varieties are described by scientific
writer's. All parts of the plant are said
to possess medicinal value. the seeds
and the leaves particularly. Its pres
ence in the United States. so far as we
are informed, is said to have been OBJ
served first at jamestown. In India the
juices of the plant are used on occas-
sons as poisons. The Chinese utilize
the rather pretty flower heads as medi-
cine. They are said to contain hyoscure
free from other alkaloids.
Baron Storck of Vienna, of whom we
know no more than this. is credited
with having introduced the plant to the
notice of the medical profession in Eu-
rope II is now regarded by some prac-
ttioners as valuable in cases OF neural
civ and rheumatism; also in mania and
ep,lepsy.-Dichmond Times Dispatch.