Floripondio

In South America, the indigenous arborescent Brugmansia have been and still are of great significance to many tribes and, in certain ancient Andean civilizations, they assumed roles of inestimable importance.

Handsome trees with large, showy flowers and now highly valued in horticulture, they are probably all chromosomally aberrant cultigens unknown in the truly wild state as, probably because of their medicinal and narcotic properties, they have been associated with man from earliest times. There are only a few species : Brugmansia arborea, B. aurea, B. candida, B. dolichocarpa, B. sanguinea and B. vulcanicola in the Andean highlands from Chile to Colombia; and B. suaveolens in the warmer lowlands.

A recent taxonomic study has suggested that Brugmansia be treated as comprising three species - B. candida, B. sanguinea and B. suaveolens - and numerous cultivars of these species. They are known by many local names, amongst the most frequently encountered being borrachero, huacacachu, huanto, chamico, campanilla, fioripondio, maicoa, tonga and in the Amazon regions, to�. While Brugmansia suaveolens is recognized as toxic and employed to some extent medicinally in the Amazon, the hallucinogenic use of Brugmansia is concentrated mainly in the west: in the Andes and along the northern Pacific coast of South America.

Although they are employed widely, the literature is very deficient and has reported only a few tribes as using Brugmansia: the Chibchas, Chocos, Inganos, Kamsas, Sionas, Kofans of Colombia; the Quechuas of Bolivia, Ecuador and Per�: the Mapuche-Huilliches of Chile; and the Canelos, Piojes, Omaguas, Jivaros and Zaparos of eastern Ecuador and Per�. In some of the western Amazonian tribes of Ecuador - as with the Mapuche-Huilliches of Chile - Brugmansia, probably B. candida and B. sanguinea, is valued as a correctional measure for unruly children.

The Jivaro expect the spirits of their ancestors to speak to and admonish the children in their intoxication-dreams and hallucinations. The Chibchas of pre-conquest Bogota gave chicha with Brugmansia - probably D. candida, D. aurea or D. sanguinea - to wives and slaves of dead warriors or chieftains to induce a state of stupor before being buried alive with their husbands and masters.

In most of the Andean area except Chile, Brugmansia assumed an important role in shamanistic, magic and religious rituals. The preparations and uses differ widely in areas of South America, but the drug is taken usually in the form of pulverized seeds dropped into fermented chicha or as an infusion; or leaves and twigs may be utilized. Amongst some - such as the Sionas and Kofans of Colombia and Ecuador - leaves of Brugmansia suaveolens may be added to the yaj� drink prepared from Banisteriopsis inebrians to fortify its hallucinogenic effects. Intoxication from Brugmansia is marked usually by initial effects so furious that the partaker must be restrained pending the onset of a deep, disturbed sleep during which hallucinations, interpreted as spirit visitations, enabling the shaman to diagnose disease, discover thieves and prophesy the future of tribal affairs and aspirations, are experienced. A writer in 1846 described this observation in Per�: "The native fell into a heavy stupor, his eyes vacantly fixed on the ground, his mouth convulsively closed, and his nostrils dilated. In the course of a quarter of an hour, his eyes began to roll, foam issued from his mouth, and his whole body was agitated by frightful convulsions. After these violent symptoms had passed, a profound sleep of several hours' duration followed, and when the subject had recovered, he related the particulars of his visit with his forefathers."

As in North America, information on the species used by South American tribes for special purposes is rarely available. The species involved in each instance must usually be guessed from phytogeographic or ecological reasoning, or, perhaps, from a vernacular name. Since most, if not all, species of Brugmansia, however, contain similar tropane alkaloids - hyoscyamine, scopolamine, atropine - varying only in relative concentrations, this does not pose the serious problem that it might with some other hallucinogens. The time is long overdue when comparative chemical analyses of all species against voucher specimens be undertaken, for if the taxonomy of this genus can be described still as uncertain - which is indeed the case - the chemistry is chaotic due primarily to careless or superficial plant identification and failure to file away an authenticating specimen for each analysis.

Not only is there a suspicion that all species of Brugmansia are cultigens, but these plants offer other fascinating but complex biological problems connected with their use by man. Bristol has stated: "Many writers have noticed the frequency with which Brugmansia is associated with human habitations, but the extent of this association and its implications have not been fully understood. I have seen no indication in herbaria nor during 13 months of field work in southern Colombia and northern Ecuador that any Brugmansia was not associated with human activity; and Schultes ( pers. comm.), in his many years of familiarity with northwestern South America, has never seen a Brugmansia that he could say was truly wild. The northern Andes, however, is the centre of variability and probable area of origin of this group."

The Kamsa Indians of the Valley of Sibundoy in the Colombian Andes employ several species of Brugmansia - B. candida, B. dolichocarpa, B. sanguinea - and sundry named clones of B. candida. These clones which are vegetatively propagated simply by planting pieces of stem in the damp soil, are so highly atrophied that they may possibly represent incipient "varieties" as the result of mutations. Some of these clones or "races" are such monstrosities that their botanical identification to known species has, until recently, defied efforts, even though the Indians have very definite native names for them and recognize them easily. They are said by the natives to differ in their narcotic strength and, since they are stronger, weaker or in other ways different from "healthy" Brugmansia in their effects, they are employed for very specific uses by the witch-doctors and medicine-men.

There has been no satisfactory explanation of the concentration in this high, mountain-girt Valley of southern Colombia of so many atrophied "races" of Brugmansia. One suggestion attributed the condition to extreme viral infection, not at all uncommon in the Solanaceae, but here is an excellent and almost wholly untouched problem well worthy of investigation. In this connexion, furthermore, Bristol's suggestion is pertinent: "The very extensive work of Blakeslee and his associates ... with the herbaceous Daturas demonstrated a great range of variability and the spontaneous appearance of many unusual characteristics. Of the 541 gene mutations encountered, 72 appeared following heating, wounding and ageing, or spontaneously in nature. Recessive genes controlling leaf shape, flower size, shape and colour, and fruit form are amongst those uncovered. It is entirely possible that these single recessive genes affecting taxonomically significant characters are present also in Brugmansia."

Angel's Trumpet gets its name because of its two-inch-long, beautiful white, pink, or yellow flowers which are shaped like trumpets. Used during religious ceremonies by South American Shamans as a hallucinogen, angels trumpet has been grown commercially in South America as a source of the alkaloid hyoscine, a drug used to dilate the pupils of the eyes.

Brugmansia suaveolens is a semi-woody shrub or small tree that gets 6-15 ft (1.8-4.6 m) tall, usually with a many-branched single trunk. The leaves are generally oval in shape, up to 10 in (25.4 cm) long and 6 in (15.2 cm) wide, and even larger when grown in the shade. The overall plant has a coarse texture but the flowers are remarkably beautiful. They are sweetly fragrant, about 12 in (30.5 cm) long and shaped like trumpets. The corolla has five points that are slightly recurved. The flowers are usually white but may be yellow or pink and are pendulous, hanging almost straight down.

The cultivar, 'Plena' (which may or may not be this species) has double flowers: a trumpet within a trumpet. B. X insignis is a second generation hybrid created by back-crossing B. suaveolens with a B. suaveolens - B. versicolor hybrid. It has huge, sometimes six-pointed, bell-shaped flowers to 15 in (38.1 cm) long. These may be yellow, orange, white, pink or multi-colored and are more prone to hang straight down. This popular hybrid blooms year-round and often is offered incorrectly as B. suaveolens. There are several other presumed hybrids, including 'Dr. Seuss', 'Frosty Pink' and 'Charles Grimaldi' whose parentages may include B. suaveolens, but this is not certain.

Common Name:	Floripondio
Other Names:	Angel's Trumpet, Devil's Trumpet, Trees of the Evil Eagle, Boracherom, To�, Tree Datura
Folk Names:	To�; Floripondio; Misha; Maricahua; Campana; Borachero; Toa; Maikoa (Jivaro); Chuchupanda (Amahuaca); Aiipa (Amarakaeri); Haiiapa (Huachipaeri); Saaro (Machiquenga); Gayapa y Kanachijero (Piro-Yine); Kanachiari (Shipibo-Conibo).
Botanical Name:	Brugmansia suaveolens
Genus:	Brugmansia
Family:	Solanaceae
Location:	South America, Central America, Peru
Cultivation:	Brugmansia suaveolens does best in full sun. In partially shaded situations it may grow vigorously but flower sparingly or not at all. Angel trumpet requires regular watering for best growth and flowering. It wilts terribly, but usually survives through droughts.
Propagation:	Brugmansias usually are propagated from seed. They also may be started from semi-ripe heeled cuttings taken in summer and rooted with bottom heat. A heeled cutting is one that includes a small piece of the older stem still attached to the tip cutting.
Height:	6-15 ft (1.8-4.6 m)
Hardiness:	USDA Zones 10 - 12. Brugmansia suaveolens is a small evergreen (although soft-wooded) tree. In zones 8B-9B, it dies to the ground in winter and resprouts in spring; under these conditions it rarely exceeds 8 ft (2.4 m) in height. Plants that are repeatedly killed to the ground winter after winter often weaken and die in a few years.
Parts Used:	Leaf, Flower
Medicinal Uses:	To treat asthma, to induce euphoria and hallucinations. The leaves, seeds and flowers of To� are most often used but in some cultures the root is also used. Preparations include leaves rolled up into cigarettes, mixing seeds with Cannabis and/or tobacco for smoking, mixing ground seeds with wine or beer, teas made with the leaves and flowers, cold water extracts of the root, enemas prepared with an infusion made from the leaves, and suppositories made from rolled up leaves. Its confirmed medicinal qualities are spasmolytic, anti-asthmatic, anticholinergic, narcotic and anesthetic. The leaves are smoked to relieve asthma. A steambath is prepared from the leaves for bad coughs and bronchitis. The juice is boiled and mixed with lard as an external application for burns, scalds, inflammations and hemorrhoids. Poultices made of the leaves are applied to arthritic or rheumatic pains, swellings and badly healing wounds . It is used as an antispasmodic to control Parkinson's disease.
Warning:	WARNING All parts of this and other angel trumpets are narcotic and poisonous. Some people have ingested or smoked angel trumpet for its narcotic effects, and some of those people are no longer with us. The use of angel trumpet as a landscape plant is banned in some municipalities.
Uses:	Brugmansia suaveolens can be pruned to a small tree with a single trunk, or allowed to grow in a clump with several erect and spreading stems. This is a very popular lawn specimen plant throughout the New World tropics and subtropics, and when in bloom it never fails to attract attention. Use it where you want to make a bold statement. Its large, coarse leaves and huge drooping flowers will be the center of attention. Use it in mixed shrub borders for contrast, or as an accent plant on the patio. As a specimen, position Brugmansia suaveolens in an open area where it can have center stage for maximum impact. While Brugmansia suaveolens is recognized as toxic and employed to some extent medicinally in the Amazon, the hallucinogenic use of Brugmansia is concentrated mainly in the west: in the Andes and along the northern Pacific coast of South America. Although they are employed widely, the literature is very deficient and has reported only a few tribes as using Brugmansia: the Chibchas, Chocos, Inganos, Kamsas, Sionas, Kofans of Colombia; the Quechuas of Bolivia, Ecuador and Per�: the Mapuche-Huilliches of Chile; and the Canelos, Piojes, Omaguas, Jivaros and Zaparos of eastern Ecuador and Per�. In some of the western Amazonian tribes of Ecuador - as with the Mapuche-Huilliches of Chile - Brugmansia, probably B. candida and B. sanguinea, is valued as a correctional measure for unruly children. The Jivaro expect the spirits of their ancestors to speak to and admonish the children in their intoxication-dreams and hallucinations. The Chibchas of pre-conquest Bogota gave chicha with Brugmansia - probably D. candida, D. aurea or D. sanguinea - to wives and slaves of dead warriors or chieftains to induce a state of stupor before being buried alive with their husbands and masters.
Possible Side Effects:	Angel's Trumpet's side effects include, delirium, dilated pupils, disorientation, dry skin, fever, hyperexcitability, and visual hallucinations.
Drug Interactions:	Taking Angel's Trumpet with these drugs may enhance the therapeutic and adverse effects of the drug: Amantadine, (Endantadine, Symmetrel) Amitriptyline, (Elavil, Levate) Amitriptyline and Chlordiazepoxide, (Limbitrol) Amitriptyline and Perphenazine, (Etrafon, Triavil) Amoxapine, (Asendin) Atropine, (Isopto Atropine, Sal-Tropine) Belladonna and Opium, (B&O Supprettes) Belladonna, Phenobarbital, and Ergotamine, (Bellamine S, Bel-Tabs) Benztropine, (Apo-Benztropine, Cogentin) Chlorpromazine, (Largactil, Thorazine) Clidinium and Chlordiazepoxide, (Apo-Chlorax, Librax) Clomipramine, (Anafranil, Novo-Clopramine) Cyclopentolate, (Cyclogyl, Cylate) Desipramine, (Alti-Desipramine, Norpramin) Dicyclomine, (Bentyl, Lomine) Doxepin, (Zonalon, Sinequan) Fluphenazine, (Modecate, Prolixin) Glycopyrrolate, (Robinul, Robinul Forte) Homatropine, (Isopto Homatropine) Hyoscyamine, (Hyosine, Levsin) Hyoscyamine, Atropine, Scopolomine and Phenobarbital, (Donnatal, Donnatal Extentabs) Imipramine, (Apo-Imipramine, Tofranil) Ipratropium, (Atrovent, Nu-Ipratropium) Lofepramine, (Feprapax, Gamanil) Melitracen, (Dixeran) Mesoridazine, (Serentil) Nortriptyline, (Aventyl HCl, Pamelor) Oxitropium, (Oxivent, Tersigat) Perphenazine, (Apo-Perphenazine, Trilafon) Prifinium, (Padrin, Riabel) Prochlorperazine, (Compazine, Compro) Procyclidine, (Kemadrin, Procyclid) Promethazine, (Phenergan) Propantheline, (Propanthel) Protriptyline, (Vivactil) Scopolamine, (Scopace, Transderm Scop) Thiethlyperazine, (Torecan) Thioridazine, (Mellaril) Thiothixene, (Navane) Tiotropium, (Spiriva) Tolterodine, (Detrol, Detrol LA) Trifluoperazine, (Novo-Trifluzine, Stelazine) Trihexyphenidyl, (Artane) Trimathobenzamide, (Tigan) Trimipramine, (Apo-Trimip, Surmontil)
Disease Interactions:	May cause irregular heartbeat and rapid heartbeat and worsen heart failure due to its constituents hyoscyamine and scopolamine. May worsen gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), ulcers, constipation, and obstructive gastrointestinal diseases due to its constituents hyoscyamine and scopolamine. May worsen urinary retention due to its constituents hyoscyamine and scopolamine. May increase the risk of fever due to its constituents hyoscyamine and scopolamine.
Bibliography:	Schultes, R.E. and A. Hoffman. 1992. Plants of the Gods. Healing Arts Press, Rochester, Vermont. pp. 128-131. Schultes, R.E. 1970. The Plant Kingdom and Hallucinogens (part III) FROM: United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNODCCP) The Essential Herb-Drug-Vitamin Interaction Guide by Geo. T. Grossberg,MD and Barry Fox,PhD Copyright©:2007 Barry Fox,PhD pp.38-39