March 22, 2024
Everything is poison, nothing is poison. Plants can be good or bad depending on the dosage. The word pharmakon, from which pharmacy is derived, means poison and or drug in Greek, just as the Lao word phit means poison and at the same time denotes the active principle of a plants. Ricin, manioc and tobacco are toxic or not depending on how they are used. Strychnine, a chemical stimulant of the nervous system, is extracted from the Vomit Nut (ton seng beua, Strychnos nux- vomica) found in Laos and used as a poison for fishing. Another tree with a dangerous reputation in the religion is ton nong (Antiaris toxicaria), the latex of which was used to poison arrows used against the Japanese during the last war.
Pretty flowers can be deceptive. This is the case with dok ngouang sang (stropbanthus spp.) whose seeds are highly poisonous, or kheu phan ma ba (Gloriosa superba), a piece of the rhizome of which can be fatal. The strange flowers of the Solanaceae family speak to the imagination and one among them, Datura metel (which the Lao call Kheua ba, squash which make crazy), is used because its name and its toxicity to treat certain mental health problem.
The perception of plants varies from culture to culture. The Lao call Calotropis gigantea the love flower (Dok huk), but this tree has a highly toxic latex which was one used in Europe to treat syphilis. Watch out for the beautiful red seed of ton lam (Adenanthera pavonine) and those of ton lam ta deng (Abrus precatoris, Job’s tear), which are used in necklaces.
According to the information above, we should have studied more about using plants before consuming because everything is poison, nothing is poison. Never use that plants without studying or asking experts.
