Ingestion of angel's trumpet: an increasingly common source of toxicity

Abstract

Angel's trumpet is a hallucinogenic plant commonly cultivated as an ornamental in the southeastern United States. Consumption of any part of the plant may result in severe anticholinergic toxicity. In past years, toxicity has largely resulted from accidental ingestion, but in 1994 there was a ten-fold increase in the number of reported ingestions throughout the state of Florida, largely by persons experimenting with the plant for its hallucinogenic effects. We report three such cases and review the literature on diagnosis, treatment, and sequelae of angel's trumpet intoxication.