in_spirit Posted February 8, 2014 http://m.couriermail.com.au/news/world/french-police-hunt-hydrangea-gang-as-flower-thieves-turn-to-cheaper-weed/story-fnihsmjt-1226820536302 Is this happening here at all, love hype title, lol 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ballzac Posted February 8, 2014 http://m.couriermail.com.au/news/world/french-police-hunt-hydrangea-gang-as-flower-thieves-turn-to-cheaper-weed/story-fnihsmjt-1226820536302 Is this happening here at all, love hype title, lol In case anyone reads the title and thinks of doing this without reading the rest or doing any research, be aware that hydrangeas contain cyanogenic glycosides. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
J Smith Posted February 9, 2014 Obviously the only sensible thing to do would be to make hydrangeas illegal... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted February 9, 2014 I dunno, this story has been around for a while now, and always with the same "experts say that it has THC-like effects", and nary a single experience report. I smell a hoax. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted February 9, 2014 ^ a few on shroomery... A short search showed some opinions that say burning only turns the product into a sorta poison compound... Can find links if those interested can't.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted February 9, 2014 Ah cool, thanks for the tip. It sounds awful. Not only contains cyanogenic compounds, but the cyanide poisoning which results has cumulative effects. Here was one report from shroomery: Smoking Hydrangea can kill you and it is not worth the rather unpleasant buzz you get when you smoke it.The smoke of hydrangea contains Cyanide.I recently smoked 3 joints of hydrangea and ended up in the Emergency room with cyanide poisoning.The effects of Hydrangea were Strong Sedation, Delirium, vomiting and loss of consciousness.I'm lucky that my bro found me when I passed out and got me to the ER quickly because I could have literally died from smoking it. The other report, while more positive, still sounds like symptoms of mild cyanide poisoning: ok guys,check this,about seven years ago,I was out of herbs,so I decided to smoke some hydrangea.I know it was stupid,but I Had the biggest bush of it in my yard.So I grabbed a few leaves,and dried them slowly in the oven.Well,I didn't have anything to smoke it out of,then I remembered my brother left a blunt wrap over at my house the previous night.Well,I rolled it all up,and took the first hit.It tasted pretty bad,but not unbareable.After the first nice deep hits,I noticed I was extremely relaxed,with a slight bit of euphoria.So I continued to smoke the whole thing.Well,and this ain't no joke,I was so sedated I had to lay down.It really does work,and it works good.I read somewhere than only one joints worth should be smoked,so I really overdid it. Bleck! I feel like it's irresponsible for journalists to even be writing about this kind of thing. I mean, sure they mention the cyanide thing right down the bottom of the articles, but firstly who reads that far, and secondly, alot of people think that "mushies have cyanide in them, that's what gets you high", so even if they DO read that far they might not get the message that cyanide is a bad thing. This story from 2005 made much more sense: Holland has encountered a short, surprising hype in December, caused by the news that Hydrangea may have a hallucinogenic effect....Wychgel does not believe that the hydrangea have been stolen for this reason, and we share this point of view. There are many kinds of plants that have psychoactive effects: nutmeg and poppy seed for example. For the Dutch, when seeking a high it’s more intelligent and much easier to visit a coffeeshop. And of course, anyone can inform himself at an (online)smart shop for other psychoactives. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted February 9, 2014 This was taken from here, second comment http://azarius.net/news/56/item/ """"""I've had a degree in horticulture for twenty years now. Most of those years with gardens of "special" plants. Also I've experimented with secondary qualities. There is no cyanide in any hydrangea. Period. However, they do contain compounds that can combine to form trace amounts of cyanide. The amount would never be more than accidentally swallowing 3 appleseeds. Some think season, reproductive cycle, soil composition, care, who knows why some have positve reactions and some don't. So don't over do it."""""" 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) Yeah, I didn't add that bit because I didn't want to confuse the issue. My chemistry is waaay rusty, but it looks like the cyanogenic glycosides (which are composed of a cyanide group bound to a sugar) which ballzac mentioned - and which hydrangeas most definitely do contain (1, 2) - are not so poisonous if you eat them, at least in small amounts that the liver can deal with. Which could explain that horticulturalists' comment, and also maybe how people have managed to use hydrangea products in herbal medicine without killing themselves (although there are cases of animals being poisoned by eating fresh hydrangeas). However, heating the plant material breaks the bond between the cyanide and sugar groups, releasing hydrogen cyanide. And then if people go around actually inhaling the smoke, you can see how this story might end badly. Edited February 9, 2014 by Anodyne 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted February 9, 2014 Thanks for the breakdown mate! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted February 22, 2014 Ah crap, just realised that a few days before this article was published I had been out deadheading my neighbours poor neglected hydrangeas. I'm sure they read the Guardian too... goddammit. What must they think of me? Maybe if next time I see them I just brandish a hydrangea branch and shout "don't worry, it's for microscopy purposes only", they WON'T think I'm some kind of drug-crazed deviant? Errr...I may need to think about that strategy some more. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
