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| Photo: Suicide Plant |
Hey there! did you ever hear about the deadly plant called "Suicide Plant" found at rain-forest in the north east of Australia? Probably not! Let's have a introduction with the deadly toxic suicide plant.
Dendrocnide moroides is the scientific Latin name for the plant that has also been called the stinging brush, moonlighter and even the gympie gympie. Merely brushing against the plant’s leaf will stab your body with countless microscopic needle-like hairs. The pain allegedly feels like being electrocuted and baptised with acid—at the same time. There’s no cure; trying to remove the tiny hairs is nigh-on impossible, and even attempting this feat could break the needles, causing even greater pain. There have been reports that excruciating pain from the moonlighter plant can last for months and, in some case, years.
The pain from the sting, however, can last for as long as two years and they say it's so unbearable, it once drove a man to suicide.
"For two or three days the pain was almost unbearable; I couldn’t work or sleep, then it was pretty bad pain for another fortnight or so. The stinging persisted for two years and recurred every time I had a cold shower. ... There's nothing to rival it; it's ten times worse than anything else."
- Ernie Rider, who was slapped in the face and torso with the foliage in 1963.
The plant is covered with stinging hairs that deliver a highly potent neuro-toxin. It's a poisonous sting that causes excruciating pain to the human body even though it has no adverse reaction in certain birds and insects.
The treatment for a dendrocnide moroides sting involves removal of the plant's stinging hairs with a wax strip and treating the affected skin with diluted hydrochloric acid.
Acknowledgment: SW and Signs of the time
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