Abstract
Anticholinergic plants of the family Solanaceae have a long history of use as medicines, poisons, and recreational drugs. Though they were the intoxicating substances of choice throughout Europe for centuries, their use for these purposes has declined with the globalisation of other recreational drugs. The present study sought to examine the level of knowledge surrounding these plants among individuals who had used other hallucinogenic plants or mushrooms in Slovenia. Participants were questioned in regards to the anticholinergic Solanaceae that are known to grow wild in Slovenia: Atropa belladonna L., Datura stramonium L., Hyoscyamus niger L., and Scopolia carniolica L. As expected, only a small number of individuals had any substantial knowledge of these plants, and fewer still had used them; some were even unfamiliar with any of these plants. Knowledge of toxicity generally arose from family members, while books and the internet played prominent roles in regards to use knowledge. Knowledge of the plants was vastly varied, with many individuals confusing the plants for others, especially other members of the Solanaceae. Ultimately, a small group of individuals had the largest body of knowledge of these plants, though this was linked with university studies rather than traditional uses. Knowledge of the intoxicating Solanaceae has been largely lost in Slovenia among users of other botanical hallucinogens, likely due to the various dangers their use poses and the undesirable effects they often cause.
Highlights
Perhaps best known for its range of useful crop plants such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and bell peppers, the Solanaceae is a widespread and popular botanical family
63 of the 68 participants listed their nationality as Slovenian, one as French/Slovenian, and one as Serbian/Slovenian. 2 of the participants were not Slovenian, but both live within the country
If a person’s grandmother were to teach them about traditional uses of plants through such a medium, would it be more or less traditional than getting the information from another person? We all have our own traditions, and the notion of "traditional" knowledge needs further investigation and consideration within the field of ethnobotany, especially as it applies to the modern spread of knowledge through resources that were unavailable to previous generations. Knowledge of these plants was very lacking among users of hallucinogenic plants and mushrooms in Slovenia, showing that the "traditional" use of these plants as recreational substances has declined
Summary
Perhaps best known for its range of useful crop plants such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and bell peppers, the Solanaceae is a widespread and popular botanical family. Traditional knowledge of intoxicating Solanaceae among hallucinogenic plant and mushroom users in Slovenia medicines [6,7,8,9], for hunting [10], in magic [11, 12], and in warfare [13, 14]; these have been extensively reviewed elsewhere [15] These various uses are all linked to their alkaloid profiles, as these plants contain the anticholinergic tropane alkaloids hyoscyamine and scopolamine, which function as muscarine receptor antagonists; these receptors are found throughout the body’s smooth muscles, exocrine glands, and the nervous system [16]. These compounds have a range of effects in the human body such as affecting heart rate and body secretions, as well as inducing a potentially dangerous state of delirium often accompanied by strong, realistic hallucinations [16, 17]
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