Poisons & Living off the SW Land

Flashcards about poisons, plants and people of the southwest.

Curare

An alkaloid nerve toxin from South American plants (Strychnos toxifera & Chondrodendron tomentosum) used on poison arrows and later as a muscle relaxant.

Tropane alkaloids

Extremely toxic compounds (atropine, hyoscyamine, scopolamine) found in plants like Brugmansia aurea, causing coma and respiratory arrest.

Oleander (Nerium oleander)

A plant containing over 50 toxic compounds, including cardioactive glycosides, dangerous even in smoke from burning stems.

Rhododendron & Azalea (Ericaceae)

Landscaping plants containing grayanotoxins that can block nervous regulation of the heart; toxin may be found in honey from these plants.

Mescal Bean (Dermatophyllum secundiflora)

Contains Citisine, a psychoactive alkaloid similar to nicotine; used by native peoples for hallucinatory effects in rituals, but can cause respiratory paralysis.

Castor Bean (Ricinus communis)

Contains ricin, a toxic protein that prevents protein synthesis; one seed can kill a child, three seeds an adult.

Pueblo people

Settlers that grew crops, part of the Southwest Cultures.

Apache, Comanche and Navajo

More nomadic tribes of the Southwest Cultures; hunted game, collected wild plants and raided the villages.

Three Sisters

Three major food crops of the Native Americans: Corn (maize) (Poaceae), Beans (Fabaceae), and Squash (Cucurbitaceae).

Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa)

Native Southwest all-purpose plant. Pods and beans ground to a coarse meal, water added to form a “mush” eaten or left to stand to slightly ferment.

Opuntia fruits (prickly pear, tuna)

Fruits harvested by Native Americans, appetizing (sweet), often eaten raw, made into jellies and syrup, high in vitamin C, low in fat, and high in sugars.

Agave spp. (Century Plants)

Plant with many uses: mescal bread from plant stem, baked mescal hearts, maguey wine (Mescal), nectar and fibers.

Sotol (Dasylirion spp.)

Similar use as Agave. Indians discovered that the sweet hearts of baked sotol when mixed with water fermented into an alcoholic drink.

Soaptree Yucca (Yucca elata)

Native tribes across the southwest used the soap like properties from saponins to wash their hair, bodies and clothes.

Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata)

Southwest Folk Medicine. Coahuila Indians steeped the leaves and drank the decoction as a remedy for bowel complaints