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Medical Explanations: Drugs & Plants
† Nightshade/Belladonna
(Atropa Beladonna)
- Purplish colored stem, 2 to 4 feet high, dull, dark green oval shaped leaves- 3 to 10 inch leaves.
- Shiney black color berries- sweet and poisonous
- Symptoms of Belladonna poisoning: complete loss of voice, frequent bening forward of the trunk, continual movement of the hands and fingers, pupils become dialated
- Entire plant is poisonous
- Deadly presence in the plant is an alkaloid, Atropine
- Large glass of warm vinegar or mustard and water can prevent the poisonous effects of this plant. -seek medical attention right away!-
- (ointment used by the werewolves-belladonna/nightshade, which could produce hallucination and delusions of bodily metamorphose.)
† Ergot
- Fungal Disease of rye, barley and wheat
- Those poisoned by Ergot had visions of turning into beasts, Some of which reported being chased or attacked by beasts and even feel like their body is possessed. Ergot leaves a tingling and loss of sensation in the body.
- Compounds of this fungus is found in LSD.
- Widespread contamination of this existed in Europe in the middle ages.
- Heat cannot break down the psychoactive components of Ergot; exists in baked breads from infected grains
- Infected grains become purplish-black sclerotia (often mistaken for large discolored grains)
- Contain ergot alkaloids such as Lysergic Acid ( Makes LSD ) and ergotamine (Treats migrain headaches)
- Eating ergot can lead to a convulsive disorder characterized by violent muscle spasms, vomiting, delusions, hallucinations, crawling sensations on the skin, etc.
- Ergot Thrives in warm, damp, rainy springs ans summers
- Thought to also cause the Salem withctrials epidemic and led to developement of the werewolf-legend and shapeshifting
† LSD
- Lysergic Acid Diethylamide
- Most powerful hallucinogen, changes mental states and distorts perception of reality
- Short term effects appear after 20 to 60 minutes and can last 4 to 12 hours
- Physical effects : numbness , muscle weakness, trembling, rapid reflexes, increased blood pressure, heart palpitation, temperature increase, impared motor cordination, dialted pupils, nausea, seizures
- Dramatic changes in perception: distorted perception of time, distance, gravity and space between oneself and one's environment.
- Also, fusion of the senses, diminishing control over thought processing, feelings of a mystical, religious or cosmic nature
- Mood swings: paranoia, anxiety, fear and forgetfulness -Hallucinations can result in violence, homicide, suicide
- Long term effects: flashbacks from the drug use 'trip', depression and anxiety
† Hallucinogens
- Disorients perception of reality creating hallucinations
- Causes person to see and hear things that aren't there, see distorted image of surroundings
- Hallucinogens: LSD, magic mushrooms, mescaline, PCP, marijuana
- Effects can range from ecstasy to terror
† Hallucinations
- Hallucination- percepton without corresponding stimuli
- apparent perception of an external object when no such object is present
- experience of perceiving objects or events that do not exist
- Involves all of then senses- Perceptual distortion, seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling and tasting what others would not sense at all
- Persistent hallucination is a symptom of schizophrenia
- Illusion- A present objec that is inadequately recognized
- Hallucination- absense of the external object
- Can be caused by chemical changes/metabolic disturbances
- Hallucinatory recall (dramatic) of intense experiences from the recent past
- can be caused by brief flashing lights with loud noises
- drugs:LSD, ergot, psilocybin, mescaline, THC
Diseases: Mental & Physical
† Rabies
- Viral infection that attacks the nervous system of warm blooded men and animals
- Can be contracted through saliva (animal bites) or infected animal tissue
- Stages of Rabies when contracted by humans : unusual or tingling feeling around wound, then a period of tiredness, lack of appetite, headache, fever, cough, sore throat, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. A period of extreme worry, irritability, inability to sleep and depression followed possibly by hallucinations
- "Furious Rabies" may include strange behaviours such as biting people
- Victims gain hydrophobia
- Paralasis of the body beginning with the site of the wound, then a coma developes
- Last Stage, experation
a mental condition in which the subject (called a lycanthrope) believes that he or she is a werewolf. The subject does not actually change shape, but is nevertheless capable of being as dangerous as and actual werewolf. Most cases of supposed werewolfry are really the works of the lycanthropic disorder victims.
Other known causes::
Schizophrenia
Manic-depressive psychosis (bipolar disorder)
Porphyria
Drugs
Psychomotor epilepsy
Psychotic depressive reaction