Poison Garden - The world's deadliest garden

On the black iron gate leading into the garden were the words 'These plants can kill' and skulls and crossbones. This warning is no joke - the land behind this gate is the deadliest garden in the world.

Established in 2005, Poison Garden in Alnwick Garden in Northumberland (UK) is home to more than 100 poisonous, anesthetic and hallucinogenic plants. 'Before entering, each visitor is briefed on safety. They are not allowed to touch, taste or smell anything - however, as our website notes, visitors occasionally pass out from inhaling toxic gases,' said Dean Smith, guide member at Poison Garden said.

Castor plant - the most poisonous plant in the world

One of the dangerous plants grown here is the dandelion or wolfberry, which contains aconitine - a neurotoxin and cardiovascular poison. But it's still not the worst. 'Perhaps the most unique plant we have here is the ricin aka the castor plant. The Guinness Book of Records considers it the most poisonous plant in the world,' Mr Smith said.

Surprisingly, many of the plants that grow in the garden are quite common species. 'Many species of plants here grow wild in the UK and most plants are alarmingly easy to grow,' Mr Smith said. Even popular home garden bushes like rhododendrons are here. If you eat its leaves, the toxin grayanotoxin inside them will attack your nervous system. 'But you won't be able to eat the leaves, because they taste so bad,' he assured.

And then there's the Laburnum tree, the second most poisonous tree in the UK (after the yew). Many people grow them around the house because the yellow flowers are beautiful, but they contain a poison called cytisine. 'The tree is so poisonous, that if one of its branches falls to the ground, and then a few months later a dog picks it up with its mouth, there's a very good chance the dog won't survive,' Mr Smith explained. .

The gate to the deadliest garden in the world.

However, the plants here direct their venom not only at humans and animals. As Mr. Smith explains, if enough rhododendrons grow close together, they contaminate the soil - making the only plant that can grow is the rhododendron. And if bees only get honey from azaleas, the liquid will be red and, in small doses, have hallucinogenic properties. 'But larger doses will be fatal,' he warned.

Some other plants can kill people even without eating, touching and smelling. There is a plant in the garden that can kill you just by pruning it. The leaves of the plant Prunus laurocerasus (also known as cherry laurel) contain two components, the cyanogenic glycoside and the cyanide ion. Although these two components alone will not cause harm, but if we cut the leaves with a knife, they will produce cyanide gas - a deadly poison.

Hellebores are common dangerous plants here. The roots have a toxin that will make your heart stop, and the sap is a strong skin irritant. So always wear gloves, Mr. Smith warns, and don't take them off by using your teeth. It's a taboo thing the gardeners here would never do. Mr. Robert Ternent, who is in charge of horticultural workers, said staff here must take a variety of safety steps. 'When handling giant parsley plants, you must be fully equipped: a protective suit along with a mask and gloves,' Mr Smith said.

However, Amy Thorp, a gardener, is not afraid. 'I think these plants were here before we appeared. Therefore, we should learn about their uses. Not all of them are bad, many of the plants here are used for good,' she said.

In fact, some of the plants here are amazing healers, like the yew tree, which is used in the treatment of breast cancer. And periwinkle is also a 'double-edged sword': its ingredients can be fatal, but if processed properly, it makes beneficial medicines.

Not surprisingly, the garden is part of a drug education program. As Claire Mitchell, head of community and education explains: 'North East England has the highest drug-related death rates in England and Wales. We need to do something to bring information to the young people there. So the drug education program started with visits to Poison Garden, where we had the drug plants, and the whole purpose behind it was to prevent their harm'.

Indeed, as Mr Smith puts it, the garden grows 'drugs from A to C'. They grow poppy (a class A drug), cannabis (class B) and Catha edulis, commonly known as 'khat' (category C). But visitors should not have any idea of ​​stealing. According to Mr Ternent, staff at Poison Garden are required by law to meticulously monitor, count and file reports of their drug plants - and then submit proof that they destroyed them at the end of each day. season.