Brugmansia and its usage by the people of the Andes

I first posted about my brugmansia cuttings here

"I got this plant as a cutting when I visited San Francisco in January. It has surprised me by flowering so soon after growing roots. Brugmansia is a tree from South America in the Datura family. A full tree might have 50 - 100 of these blooms hanging down at one time. "

Well now that's happening. From an unrooted cutting in January to a good-sized tree in September.

I am really encouraged by the rapid growth, enough that I think that next year I may just take several cuttings off one of these and plant them directly in the ground, and let them live for one season. I will probably share them. I see great potential for use as an annual that flowers in September so majesticly. They like cool weather when flowering, so the 50s at night that we are currently experiencing is perfect.

For those of you with an interest in ethnobatany, people of the Andes mountains in South America have a long history of using Brugmansia as a hallucinogen.

"Most potent among Brugmansia's chemicals is the alkaloid scopolamine, formerly used during childbirth for its amnesia-inducing properties. In low doses, it can prevent motion sickness and is one of the ingredients of an antinausea medicine given to astronauts during weightlessness training. Overdosing may lead to delusions, hallucinations, and sometimes death. A modest dose of atropine, another alkaloidal compound found within Brugmansia, acts as an antidote to pesticide and nerve-gas poisoning, but an overdose can cause delirium, convulsions, and coma. This is definitely not a plant to be used by the self-medicating."

I think I will stick to growing them and smelling their "intoxicating" evening aroma.

Passing your comments here on to folks to whom I have given "MoonFlowers" in the past, (similar plants, I know you know that), after having discovered [folks] burning autumn leaves and dead / dying moonflower stalks, pods, leaves. In the country, common, children roasting marshmallows around the burning leaves. Not so common but looming possiblity, accidental drugging of children, the smoke.