Plant That Renders Speech Impossible

About a strange plant that when ingested renders the person unable to speak for at least 48 hours, description of the plant.

THOMAS R. HENRY'S 10 BEST ODDITIES

The Plant That Strikes, Men Dumb. "A plant cultivated in the gardens of the Venezuelan National University at Caracas might well be a boon to pestered husbands and harassed mothers.

"It is described under the popular Spanish name of planta del mudo. It looks like sugarcane. According to the probably exaggerated claims, anybody who chews the stem is stricken dumb for at least 48 hours, presumably due to some paralyzing effect on some part of the vocal apparatus. It is not known whether anybody has tried to extract the marvelous talkstopping principle.

"American botanists are unable to identify the plant. They explain, however, that the northern portion of South America long has been known as the world's greatest storehouse of plants with strange physiological effects. There is one, for example, alleged to grow hair on bald heads, another which makes everything look red."

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