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Dangerous Herbs

Listed below are dangerous herbs and herbal combination and explanations as to why they are dangerous. Do not try any of these herbs, orally, on the skin, or in any other way ever (or during pregnancy or nursing, if listed as such).

*Some of the herbs mentioned are safe in small doses are are written as such. Other herbs are toxic in small doses or any amount. This is not a complete list.

Belladonna - Nightshade, bittersweet nightshade is an extremely poisonous herb and is absolutely deadly. It is related to Henbane. Side effects can include dry mouth, enlarged pupils, blurred vision, red dry skin, fever, fast heartbeat, inability to urinate or sweat, hallucinations, spasms, mental problems, convulsions, and coma.

Blue Cohosh - Can cause miscarriages, especially during early pregnancy. This herbs in combination with other herbs has been used as an aborfacient. It works by loosening and relaxing the uterine muscles. This is why it is often suggested as a remedy for pms and menopause.

Black Cohosh -  Can cause miscarriages, especially during early pregnancy. This herbs in combination with other herbs has been used as an aborfacient. It works by loosening and relaxing the uterine muscles. This is why it is often suggested as a remedy for pms and menopause. 

Chaparral - This herb can cause serious liver damage, liver failure, and acute hepatitis. 

Comfrey - Comfrey can be taken in small doses for upset stomach and pms, but using a lot is dangerous. Comfrey contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, a type of poison that causes liver and kidney failure as well as cancer. They can be absorbed through the skin as well. 

The amount of PAs found in comfrey changes according to the time of harvesting and the age of the plant. The roots have 10 times higher amounts of PAs than the leaves.

Devil’s Claw -  Harpagophytum, means “hook plant” in Greek. Devil’s claw causes additive effects in many medications. It can cause changes in blood pressure as well.

Eucalyptus - Eucalyptus can not be consumed. Taking 3.5 mL of undiluted oil can be fatal. Even applying too much to the skin and absorbing large amounts is dangerous. (Use it very lightly, dilute it, or use a humidifier.) Signs of eucalyptus poisoning might include stomach pain and burning, dizziness, muscle weakness, small eye pupils, feelings of suffocation, and some others. Eucalyptus changes how many medicines break down in the liver.

Foxglove - Poisoning by this herb can cause stomach upset, small eye pupils, blurred vision, strong slow pulse, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, excessive urination, fatigue, muscle weakness and tremors, stupor, confusion, convulsions, abnormal heartbeats, and death. Long-term use of foxglove can lead to symptoms of toxicity, including visual halos, yellow-green vision, and stomach upset.

Golden Seal - This herb is a uterotonic; brain damage (kernicterus) has developed in newborn infants exposed to goldenseal. Do not use goldenseal during pregnancy or breast-feeding.

Hemlock -  Neuromuscular blockage can occur to the point of death if it blocks the respiratory muscles.

Henbane - Side effects include dry mouth, red skin, constipation, overheating, reduced sweating, vision disturbances, increased heart rate, urination problems, drowsiness, restlessness, hallucinations, delirium, manic episodes, and death. Henbane is poisonous and not safe for self-medication.

Kava - In the South Pacific, kava is a popular social drink, similar to alcohol in Western societies. It is used by some to treat anxiety, restlessness, and insomnia, but like many medicines used to treat these types of issues, Kava runs the risk of being too much of a ‘downer - oversedation.’ It can make you unable to operate machinery, fatigued, and worsen depression. Large doses can also effect the liver and cause yellowing of the eyes. Also, some of the dangerous chemicals in kava can pass into breast milk and might hurt a breast-fed infant. Avoid this herb if you have Parkinson’s disease or if you will undergo or have recently undergone anaesthesia as it effects the central nervous system. Alcohol, sedatives, and benzodiazepines interact with downers.

Licorice Root - This tasty herb, when taken in high doses, may cause tiredness, absence of a menstrual period in women, headache, water and sodium retention, and decreased sexual interest and function in men. It may also cause early delivery in pregnant women and miscarriage in early pregnancy. This root has also been seen effecting hormone levels in the body and interacts with oestrogen. It also seems to rid the body or potassium. It can also cause heart failure.

Mistletoe (European) - Can cause chills vomiting, diarrhea, cramping, and other side effects. Short-term, frequent use of European mistletoe might cause liver damage. Lowers blood pressure.

Mugwort - This herb is dangerous in large quantities. Thujone, a ketone and a monoterpene that occurs naturally in two diastereomeric forms:-α-thujone and-β-thujone is present in wormwood Thujones cause a slight high and a feeling of relaxation, which is why it is enjoyed by smokers and drinkers (as a tincture or bitters), can also cause breakdown of muscle, nightmares, seizures, dizziness, confusion, numbness of arms and legs, paralysis, and death. The chemical is also said to be responsible for absinthe’s hallucinogenic effects.

Mugwort might cause a miscarriage because it can start menstruation and also cause the uterus to contract.

Pennyroyal - Pennyroyal has been used as an antificant and can also kill pregnant mothers. Do not use this herb as a method for miscarriage. It can cause irreversible damage to the liver and kidneys, nervous system, brain, and cam cause dizziness, confusion, seizures, and death.

Peony - Peony can cause uterine contractions and is unsafe to use during pregnancy. It also slows blood clotting.

St. John’s Wort - This herb interacts with SSRIs and other types of medications for the treatment of depression. In bipolar, bipolar depression, mania, manic depression, and other related disorders, St. John’s wort can trigger a major upswing or manic episode in patients. This herb also interacts with birth control.

Wormwood - Wormwood one of the main ingredients in the alcoholic beverage, Absinthe. The latin Absinthium comes from the ancient greek word apsínthion, which some claim translates to “Undrinkable”, referencing the herb’s extreme bitter flavor. It is closely related to mugwort, which is toxic in large doses, but wormwood is even more so. The herbs also contained thujones. See Mugwort.

Valerian - This herb, especially the root, can cause oversedation. Alcohol, sedatives, and benzodiazepines interact with downers. Valerian can cause some side effects such as headache, excitability, uneasiness, and even insomnia in some people. A few people feel sluggish in the morning after taking valerian, especially at higher doses. It’s best not to drive or operate dangerous machinery after taking valerian. 

Wintergreen - This type of mint can be dangerous in high doses. Taking wintergreen oil or large amounts of wintergreen leaf can cause ringing in the ears, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, stomach pain, and confusion.

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i can’t believe tolkien was too catholic to realize how gay he was making lord of the rings

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i just want to actually feel free for once

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stop putting your love for everyone else over your love for yourself.

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I keep thinking about that straight girls in gay bars post and so here’s a list of things that straight people have done to me or around me in gay bars

I ask a pretty girl if she wants to dance. She looks at me with disgust and says, “I’m not gay” in the snottiest valley girl voice I’ve ever heard. 

A short greasy dude will not leave me the fuck alone at the bar. I tell him multiple times “I am a lesbian.” He says, “me too” and in the same breath tells me I’ll like it if I try it. When the guy steps away to talk to his friend, three gay men surround me and buy me a drink and swear to keep him away from me for the rest of the night.

2am, drunk, cheering on my favorite local drag queen on stage. A contestant from Dr*g R*ce is in the audience, hanging out, supporting her friends. The straight girls next to me spot her and start shrieking at the top of their lungs and trying to get to her. Security escorts the contestant elsewhere so no one could get near her. Not a single straight person in the audience tips any of the performing queens. 

I’m by myself on the dance floor, feeling myself to Bey, as you do. A man comes up to me and starts dancing. After a minute, he starts grinding on me and tries to kiss me. I put my hand in his face and tell him I’m a lesbian. He says something very vulgar that I don’t completely remember because I was drunk af. I tell him to fuck off and I leave the dance floor completely. I end up on the patio with a beautiful butch girl and when I tell her what just happened, she offers to beat him up for me. 

A girl with a bachelorette party, telling me, with complete seriousness, that she was just discriminated against at the bar for being straight. What happened? The bartender didn’t pay attention to her immediately and she had to wait “forever” for her drink. 

Related: Almost every negative review of my favorite gay bar is by a straight person. At least half of them claim that the bartenders or bouncers discriminated against them. 

And then this one isn’t bad, it just made me laugh when it happened 

Guy: hey can you ask the bartender for a drink for me? They usually pay more attention to girls Me: oh baby not here they don’t lol Guy: ?? Me: This is a gay bar, sweetheart Guy: I… oh… *looks at the shirtless male bartenders, the go go boys, the rainbow flags, the drag queen behind me, the glitter everywhere* *walks away in a daze*

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hi everyone tell me your archetypes, these are mine

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I feel like the real peril of growing up Christian that no one really talks about is how deeply veggie tales songs get embedded into your fuckin head like a ticking time bomb of inanity

it could be decades later and you’re minding your own business in line at the grocery store or on the bus or trying to fall asleep and from the depths of your brain comes “the bunny, the bunny, ooh I love the bunny”

you’ll never be free

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when you’re dissociating and someone asks you a question

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my favourite ever literary trope is “you want me to be a villain? i’ll show you a villain” that shit gives me goosebumps and given the right context also turns me on

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it’s amazing to me how many people see u=u and assume that those of us spreading the word don’t care about hiv transmission, or in some cases that we even think hiv transmission is good. that the cdc is just lying in order to… get hiv+ people laid at any cost???

no. we want to END AIDS. we want to STOP TRANSMISSION. the campaign behind the slogan is called PREVENTION ACCESS because the goal is to IMPROVE PREVENTION through SCIENCE AND ADVOCACY. that is literally… literally the whole ass point.

stop kneejerking against aids activists just because you’re scared. this is conspiracy theorist thinking. learn and face reality.

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Christianity and conservatism are not compatible ideologies. Conservatives, socially, are against refugees, against equality, and fiscally are against social programs and financial aid to those in need.

Jesus demanded they help refugees, demanded equality, and demanded aid to the poor.

To be conservative means to not be Christian, and to claim you are both is to be a hypocrite.

Something Jesus also condemned.

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mamma mia is just what having other gay friends is like honestly

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every time i see the word peonies without context

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this white feminist idea that “no man will ever understand what its like to walk down the street in constant fear” okay but gay men, black and brown men, trans men ……

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On The Run Tour II – Washington, DC (Jul. 28)

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Got some disability pins!!