Everyone has heard of tequila, or at least I hope you have. There’s nothing better than a margarita on the rocks while resting in the shade on a hot summer day . . . except two margaritas. Most people are too busy rimming a cocktail glass with salt to think about where tequila comes from, thankfully, that’s … Continue reading
As of today, khat is now banned as a class C drug in the United Kingdom . . . and I’ll spare you the “I prefer dogs” jokes, they’re all pretty lame. But in a sentence, khat is a plant chewed by individuals of Horn of African decent for it’s stimulant properties. So while many … Continue reading
The period of time right after World War II was a dark and shady time for the United States. We had just exited hard fought wars on two fronts with the help of the Soviet Union, our ally. But the United States, and the United Kingdom, never fully trusted the Soviets, and saw them as potential … Continue reading
An internet friend of mine regaled me with a tale of a buddy of his that looked like he got whacked in the face with a 2 x 4. Did he owe money to a bookie? Girlfriend beat him up? No, he got his ass handed to him by a one inch long fluffy little … Continue reading
The summer of 1972 was an unusually rainy season in the Corn Belt – the “I” states: Indiana, Iowa, Illinois – and many of the corn fields were infected by the fungus Fusarium graminearum, which in its anamorph lifecycle goes by the name Gibberella zeae (a much cooler name, if you ask me), and also infects wheat and barley (1). These … Continue reading
I’m an addict. I collect scientific papers and research articles. There’s not enough time to read them all, but I save them anyways, thinking I’ll get to them on a rainy day. The problems is, it doesn’t rain that much here. I’d call myself a hoarder, but I’m usually well organized, and the collection only … Continue reading
Of all of Nature’s Poisons, I find natural hallucinogens the most intriguing. Not because I dabble in these sorts of things, I never have nor will, but because I wonder why they are even there in the first place. Plant based poisons are secondary metabolites, meaning that they are not necessary for the basic biological … Continue reading
Nature's Poisons 