Castor Beans Plants!
By fasttalker
@fasttalker (2796)
United States
December 2, 2008 7:56pm CST
OMG I had no idea these plants were this dangerous! I have been for the past week running my poor mother back and forth to the Dr. office & ER over this stupid plant! Yep that's right and the sad part is I gave it to her!
A friend of mine had this beautiful plant in her yard that she had no idea what it was but gave me some seeds from it a couple of years ago. I planted them and they are absolutely beautiful. My mom liked them so she asked me to give her some seeds from the plant. So last week I went out and gathered her up a bunch of seeds (they are loaded ) and took them to her in a baggie.
If you've never seen these seeds they are very interesting. Almost like little drawings on them. Well she had been checking them out debating on where she was going to plant them in the Spring and she woke up one morning in terrible shape! Her entire face was swollen, eyes shut, her mouth looked like it had been turned inside out! So I took her to the ER and they treated her with steroids and Bendryl claiming it was an allergy but they didn't know to what.
Well after 3 trips to the Dr. for checkups and just talking we have discovered it was these stupid little Castor Beans! The Dr. says that this is very common with these plants and she thinks they are illegal to grow!
WHAT? Yeah Terrorists use them! Good Grief who would have thought it? The beans are loaded with poison! Did anyone here know about these vicious plants? I feel like such an idiot and not to mention I am wondering why they never bothered me.
The plants are gone for fear that the FBI will come and arrest me! LOL I am just amazed at this.
1 person likes this
6 responses
@onlydia (2808)
• United States
6 Dec 08
I'm so sorry to here about your Mom. Well, the reason they don't bother you is because they don't. I have never even heard of them before now. Just like you can't grow hemp for making rope. I remember asking my Mom what the heck is hemp and why is it illegal. My mom looked at me laughed and told me well, thanks to alot of stupid kids we no longer can have the best rope ever made. That was when I was really young how ever. It's like peanut butter and it's not vicious just to a few people that it will kill. so that is it in a nut shell. Your friend onlydia
2 people like this
@onlydia (2808)
• United States
6 Dec 08
A guy at work came in after thanksgiving all broke out. Face all red with big bumbs. He said he scared his own kids. They still have not fig. his out yet. I'm glad to hear that your mom is doing way better. Have a great day your friend onlydia
2 people like this
@fasttalker (2796)
• United States
6 Dec 08
Thanks for the response. I think you're right. It depends on whether you are alergic to the castor or not. Glad I'm not and mom is fine now but SHEW she really had a bad reaction to it. Have a great day!
1 person likes this
@stophs (7)
•
3 Dec 08
OMG! I am sorry to hear of your mother being ill. Actually I just became aware of this plant this summer. It's called the good plant with the bad rep. Actually I saw on the news this Fall that a man in Utah had the FBI swarm his house thinking he was growing something illegal and it was just a castor plant. Tell your mother I hope she feels better real soon! Happy Holidays!
2 people like this
@fasttalker (2796)
• United States
3 Dec 08
Holy Crap! Are you serious? I was just kdding about the FBI although I did get rid of the plants! This is just plain amazing to me. I'm going to have totell my friend cause sh has a whole bunch of them! LOL
I feel like a criminal! ROFL
1 person likes this
@gottogogirl1956 (115)
• United States
5 Dec 08
I had a similar experience. I had a friend give me some castor bean seeds and I planted them. They grew in the front yard. Everyone admired them and said how neat they were. Lo and behold one of my neighbors came and informed me that they were highly poisinous to animals. After doing a little checking on my own, I cut them down and disposed of them. It is sad that something so unique and interesting is so dangerous.
@fasttalker (2796)
• United States
5 Dec 08
I read that where the were poisonous to animals.After seeing what they did to my mom I can certainly believe they would be poisonous to anything! They are pretty though. Oh well, they're history now!
Thanks for responding!
Thanks for responding!1 person likes this
@MisterPlus (1915)
• Philippines
3 Dec 08
This is the first time I heard about the plant Castor Beans. Thank you for sharing your horrible experience about your mother and the plant. Does it grow in a tropical place.
@fasttalker (2796)
• United States
3 Dec 08
From what I understand they do grow in tropical areas but I live in the north and they grow just fine right here! LOL Thanks for responding
1 person likes this
@catdla1 (6005)
• United States
3 Dec 08
Relax. Unless your area has laws against them, they aren't illegal to grow, although with the toxicity they probably should be. I'm glad your mom is ok. Amazing and more that a bit scary how something so harmless looking can be so dangerous. And yet, the plant is beneficial...castor oil comes from it. I found an article with interesting information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil_plant
I'm a habitual seed swapper too. I gathered some seeds from an interesting plant that was growing in front of a local courthouse. The plant was pretty with interesting leaves, and beautiful white trumpet-shaped flowers. I thought perhaps it was a moon flower. Well, the seeds germinated wonderfully, and I had some planted in several areas of my yard. It ended up being jimson weed, not illegal - but also probably should be. Here's some info on that plant: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimson_weed
I guess with some of these pretty but dangerous plants, we have to be careful with planting them, especially in areas with children or pets. We have both in our area, so I took the plants out and haven't replanted. Makes be wonder if the courthouse knows that they have hallucinogenic plants growing by their front door...lol.
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@fasttalker (2796)
• United States
3 Dec 08
LOL Now maybe that explains some things going on in the courts huh? LOL
I have some moon flowers too. They are bautiful. The only thing with moon flowers is they get so big. And they are hard to get rid of. We pulled some up last year and the roots were close to 1 1/2 feet long. Once they take root they're staying! LOL I did check the castor beans out and thy are not illegal but I eliminated them anyway. I was totally unaware of these wicked little things! LOL
Thanks for responding!
1 person likes this
@bantilesroger (341)
• Philippines
5 Dec 08
Yes, the castor oil seed can be that.
Castor oil is also a very stable lubricant, whether at low or at very high temperature or pressure. That's why castor oil is the preferred lubricant of jets. The temperature can be freezing at the high altitude that these jets climb, while the heat in the engine is worse than in a blast furnace. Castor oil as a lubricant stays stable even in these two extremes.
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@fasttalker (2796)
• United States
5 Dec 08
I believe it! That stuff is wicked! Thanks for responding!
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