Prickly apples cause fever and can be potentially fatal.
Prickly apples are the fruit of the Datura stramonium plant, also known as jimson weed, stink weed, and devil’s trumpet, a weed in the nightshade family. Thorn apples grow all over the world, but are native to India or Central America. They are poisonous, cause hallucinations and fever, and are life-threatening in overdose. Prickly apples were once used as popular hallucinogens for ritual purposes and as a remedy for a number of ailments, but are now believed to be too dangerous for such use.
The consumption of prickly apples can cause hallucinations.
The prickly apple plant is an annual herb with an average height of 30 to 150 cm, with forked purple stems, serrated green leaves and white or purple trumpet-shaped flowers. Prickly apples are a spiky, nut-shaped fruit filled with tiny black seeds. All parts of the plant are poisonous and give off an unpleasant odor when crushed.
Jimson weed, an American name for the plant, is derived from Jamestown, Virginia, where a group of British soldiers were drugged with it during the Bacon Rebellion of 1676. The incident prevented them from suppressing the rebellion, as they had hallucinations that lasted for days. . .
Dry mouth can occur as a result of eating prickly apples.
Most people who consume prickly apples or other parts of the plant for fun find the experience unpleasant. In addition to delirium and hallucinations, effects include changes in blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, flushing and dry skin, dry mouth, extreme dilation of the pupils, constipation, urinary retention, and involuntary jerking movements. In case of overdose, convulsions, heat stroke, coma and death can occur. Overdose is common, as the drug has a low therapeutic index and can take hours to start working in some users, causing them to take more before the first dose takes effect.
Prickly apple poisoning may require hospitalization.
Accidental consumption of prickly apples is not common, but they are sometimes eaten by children because they are quite sweet. In case of prickly apple poisoning, vomiting should be induced and hospitalization sought immediately. Although the plant is no longer used medicinally, some of its active compounds, atropine, hyoscine, and hyoscyamine, are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat a variety of conditions, including gastrointestinal problems, heart problems, and nausea . Atropine and hyoscine are also used to dilate the pupils for ophthalmic use.