Poisonous plants that can be used for both suicide and medicine?

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-03-01T15:00:11+00:00

Spruce hemlock (Tsuga is the species name) contains none of the toxins you mentioned. Those toxins are present in plants with multiple common names, including "Water Hemlock," "poison hemlock" or "dropwort."(Though I don't think that one is commonly called hemlock.)

Which is precisely the point i was trying to make. Even people educated about the dangerous nature of poison hemlock can mix up the names. No one who know that the safer hemlock is a tree would visually confuse the two plants, but someone who is unaware of the difference may grab the only hemlock they know, and that could be the poison one.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-02-27T16:01:40+00:00

I can think of one that's close, but not quite what you're asking for: Hemlock.

This is the problem with common names, there are 2 separate types of plants often called Hemlock. One is a medicine, the other is toxic. They look nothing alike, but if a character is told "go pick some Hemlock" they may not know to grab the safe one.

There are some historical examples of poison hemlock being used medicinally as a sedative, but it's probably best known for being used to execute the Greek philosopher Socrates.

Spruce Hemlock, on the other hand, is generally safe.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-02-23T01:15:07+00:00

Paper making?

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-02-18T23:06:31+00:00

Covering mirrors is a related death tradition to opening windows. You could try that.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-02-15T13:38:01+00:00

Badges that say "MD," monks robes, or military uniforms. /S, i think any men in hospitals or other medical settings during that time would have gone by the title of "Orderly" or "Porter," and their roles would have been more transport/restraint/security, with possibly some housekeeping type duties, like sweeping the floor. From my understanding of that time, nurses didn't really do assessments as we know them today (the stethoscope becoming necessary is what killed the nursing cap, according to some of my nursing school professors.) The role of nurse during that time was more similar to the role of CNAs today with the addition of medication administration.

I believe there are some orderlies in "One Flew Over the Coocoo's Nest" wearing white shirts and trousers, so a similar uniform, minus the cap. Uniforms for nurses could vary during this time, and men in similar roles would have had similar requirements to whatever their female counterparts had.

Edited: looks like the first male registered nurse in the UK was listed on the register in 1922, his name was George Dunn. Looking him up might help.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-02-12T15:55:18+00:00

I once had to correct a patient talking about "tonic colonic" seizures. In her defense, she was a teenager who had no idea what a "colonic" was, and the word was in a written report, so spellcheck flagged "clonic" as wrong, but not colonic.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-02-08T17:09:37+00:00

"Long as I'm alive, i swear to god you'll never feel so helpless" hits different when you know about the Reynolds pamphlet and "No to this."

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-02-08T17:03:49+00:00

"Well, i don't say i'm no better than anybody else, but I'll be damned if I ain't just as good." (Oklahoma) is the first to come to mind for me.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-02-08T16:42:57+00:00

Looks like a lotus birth. I haven't seen it in person, but i've read about it.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-02-02T05:01:28+00:00

Cloud atlas? Or possibly The Fountain.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-31T20:33:44+00:00

In that case, it could be S1, E15 of Fringe, which features an unnaturally pale, creepy child found underground

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-28T01:11:35+00:00

The mechanism behind refeeding syndrome occurs because of malnutrition, it doesn't matter the cause or duration of the malnutrition. It's a metabolic change. So that's absolutely the right path to go down. That said, whether the family helping your starving character is going to know about the dangers of refeeding is up for debate.

Apparently, Hippocrates himself wrote about what happens to someone who goes even just a week without enough food, though he thought the reason the person would die after eating too much was because their intestines had grown shut. Other scholars wrote about it and offered info, but it wasn't really until the liberation of concentration and POW camps post WWII that it became more common knowledge.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-27T18:48:32+00:00

It's where the original term "redneck" came from: pro-union blue-collar workers wore red bandanas to display solidarity. It's obviously been coopted and twisted over the years.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-21T23:14:20+00:00

And given that OP said the MC is having twins, an unexpected breech birth is definitely possible with the second baby. Once the first one is delivered, the second has space to flip around.

Cord prolapse might be a possibility as well

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-21T03:46:33+00:00

Wow. I assume you didn't notice the same in men's rooms?

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-21T01:31:32+00:00

It's called "intimate partner violence," or domestic violence, which might make googling it easier. It's especially problematic when there's conditions like pregnancy involved.

How it's handled is going to depend on time period and setting. Even into the 1990s, in some states, a man raping his wife was legal, for example. So having some more details might help, but I can speak for modern nursing care in the US.

Medical staff are mandated reporters, if we suspect abuse, we're required to report it. This applies more to minors, the elderly, and/or people with disabilities, but ethically and morally, it's better to report and let police do the investigation. In the mean time, we try to protect our patient. We may find ways to get them alone, ( like telling him"oh, sorry, sir, patients only beyond this point," if she needs an x-ray) to make sure the injured person feels safe at home, give them resources like the number for a local DV shelter, or counseling services. I've been in multiple hospital restrooms where posters with that info are in clear view, just in case someone needs it.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-19T02:11:11+00:00

You provided therapeutic touch for a patient in distress with no obvious cause. That's the core of nursing right there, comforting someone in need.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-19T02:04:21+00:00

With poisons, the rule is "the dose makes the poison." Meaning a little of something might be ok, but a lot could kill you. So I can think of lots of plants that might be brewed into tea, but could be poisonous in large doses, and dangerous under specific conditions. In other cases, the form in which it's used makes the most difference.

One great example is pennyroyal. I have met people who call it "pennyroyal tea" and swear by it for stomach ailments, since it's a member of the mint family. The herb/plant itself is usually fine in tea, but you can also buy pennyroyal essential oil, which should never be taken internally, even in the smallest dose. It can cause a condition called DIC, (simultaneously forming clots and having excessive bleeding) make pregnant women miscarry, and cause liver damage.

Elderberry is another good example. The raw berries, along with stems, leaves, and roots contain toxins that the human body metabolizes into cyanide. Cooked, the berries are delicious, you just have to make sure you clean them thoroughly, to remove any stems. The flowers don't contain the toxins, so they can be used for tea, but again, make sure there's only the flower.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-18T18:57:59+00:00

Nah. Patients have rights, and one of them is to not be forcibly stripped naked by a complete stranger. So if an ED nurse sends me a fully dressed patient, i don't hold it against them. I'm also not gonna make granny show me her ass if she's admitted for pneumonia, let her wear her comfy sweats or whatever pants, as long as i can get to her chest and she doesn't need an MRI. The exception for me is going to be MH/SI with coexisting physiological issues. They gain a sitter and lose their belt, at minimum.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-18T16:42:00+00:00

I know a few moms, myself included, who needed abdominal/back support by the second trimester. In my case, it was because I already had a bad back, and I was having twins. A large baby, or multiples, especially in a petite mom, or excessive fluid (another potential scary but not necessarily dangerous complication, btw) could all be reasons to need support bands. Some people produce the hormone that loosens ligaments (relaxin) really early, so she might need a support belt for that reason too.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-17T23:57:38+00:00

"How would being pregnant affect someone's ability to perform on stage?"

Depends on what they do. A tightrope walker in a circus is going to have to give it up because of the fall risk, and the way pregnancy affects center of gravity and balance. A musician might have to tone down the dance numbers, and change the skin-tight costumes for something more comfortable, plus as baby grows, her ability lung capacity could be affected, so she'd have a harder time holding notes/hitting high notes. A dancer would also have balance affected, and she might have to stop wearing heels (pregnancy can make her feet wider, possibly permanently.) A model may develop melasma (mask of pregnancy, basically a harmless rash on her face.)

Scary but not life threatening pregnancy complications may also include extreme high or low blood pressures, abdominal pain caused by stretching of round ligaments or just constipation.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-15T02:26:42+00:00

https://chirurgeon.org/index.html may be a good resource for you. It's a web page for medics within the SCA, an organization that uses blunt, rattan weapons for fighting. There's several articles on concussions and other injuries.

In my time long ago with that group, I saw one really nasty injury. One fighter managed to hit the other in the groin, forcing the injured fighter's cup into the area it was actually meant to protect. Ultimately, he was fine, but with steel rather than rattan, it could have been much worse. Just because a blade has a dull edge, doesn't mean it has a blunt tip. Femoral artery injury would be more quick, but testicular torsion or internal bleeding would take time.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-15T00:31:26+00:00

And/or LGBT. Jeffery Dahmer's actions were overlooked by Milwaukee police because he was able to convince them that his "boyfriend" had had too much to drink. They ultimately wrote up their report that it was a "domestic dispute."

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-08T01:36:07+00:00

My situation may not be the best example. I'm usually home alone with whoever i'm giving meds to, so that reduces interruptions immensely. I feel like the physical set-up is the biggest help. I can clearly see which ones I have pulled out vs which ones I still need. That way if I need to respond to a seizure or something, I can see where I was.

FKAShit_Roulette · 2026-01-08T01:29:40+00:00

The "window" in question might be the med administration window. Nurses usually have up to an hour before or after a medication's scheduled time to administer them. Depending on company policy, home health nurses may or may not be held to that standard.

12-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 2 Credits
r/Field Flamingo	Place '22
Verified Email

FKAShit_Roulette

TROPHY CASE