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https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-cure-or-kill-the-deadly-serious-world-of-poison-gardens-and-why-i-planted-my-own-238080>
"Not every plant is your friend. Not every plant is good. I know this because
I’ve been researching the history of poison gardens and have planted a modest
one in my small Sydney backyard.
A poison garden contains only toxic plants, which could kill humans if consumed
in varying quantities. The concept of a poison garden grew from the 16th to
17th century history of herbalist or apothecary gardens, where plants and herbs
were grown for medicinal purposes, mostly by doctors and monks.
These early gardens flourished at a time when herbals, hefty reference books on
medicinal plants, were produced. An example is John Gerard’s 1500-page book
The Herball (1597), which included English plants and herbs but also exotics
collected from the “new world” (colonised countries such as the Caribbean
islands). Within these apothecary medicinal gardens, specialist planting areas
were sometimes allocated to exotic carnivorous, aquatic or poisonous plants.
Italy’s Padua Botanical Garden, dating to 1545, includes poisonous plants. Such
gardens were established for reasons of natural history, botanical education
and medicine but also as places of spectacle or intrigue. And there was a lot
of intrigue in 16th and 17th century Italy and France, with flourishing small
poisons businesses, usually run by women. Catherine Monvoisin, for instance,
had a thriving consultancy as a poison supplier in Paris, until she was tried
for providing lethal poisons in a murder plot and executed in 1680.
Most poisonous plants have qualities of cure and of medicinal care … but they
are also dangerous. This is what Greek philosopher Plato called
pharmakon –
the idea that plants can cure, but they can also kill if the dose is high
enough. The trick is knowing those thresholds.
To honour the medieval tradition, my poison garden is planted in a circular,
raised garden bed, hip-height. There is, of course, nothing illegal about
growing plants that contain high levels of poison compounds. Poisonous plants
are potted up in many living rooms and suburban backyards."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
