Through these gates you will find that you may have seen or even interacted with. The problem is those plants can cause you harm or even death! Some historic quotes on the subject according to wiseoldsaying.com, ideomns.thefreedictionary.com and The Poison Garden booklet: "What is food to one, is to other bitter poison." Lucretius "Sometimes the remedy is worse than the disease." Francis Bacon (1561‐1626) "Prevention is better than cure." Desiderius Erasmus "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Henry de Bracton Alnwick's Duchess of Northumberland, Jane Percy, inherited the title in 1995 after the passing of her husband's brother. Since that date, she and her husband, Ralph 12th Duke of Northumberland, have refurbished the castle and its grounds, turning it into a famous tourist attraction. In her travels, the Duchess visited the Medici poison garden near Padua, Italy. Medici's garden contained plants he used to kill the family's enemies. Upon her follow‐up study of medieval Scotland, she learned that sponges used to anesthetize amputees during the 15th century had been soaked in henbane, opium and hemlock. These plants proved to be more of a killer than a curer. The gardens at the castle date back to 1750. Today, Alnwick's 14‐acre complex of gardens has one small section called the Poison Garden. It opened in 2005. Most of the gardens at Alnwick were designed by Capability Brown. The Poison Garden was designed by Jacques and Peter Wirtz. The Duchess's concern for children and working with the Northumberland Drug Action Team has made the Poison Garden internationally known. The use and dose with even the common aspirin that comes from the bark of a tree makes for concern to not cause illness or even death. With that in mind, she commissioned the development of the garden with exotic and common plants that are poisonous in certain situations. Consider the common laurel hedge. " Visitors are often surprised to learn that the laurel hedge, nearly ubiquitous in English gardens, can be highly toxic. But some visitors have had experience with laurel's sinister side—the Duchess has heard a few talk about how, after loading up their cars with pruned laurel leaves to take to the dump, drivers have fallen asleep behind the wheel of their car from the toxic fumes the branches emit. Because of the plants' dangerous qualities, visitors to the Poison Garden are prohibited from smelling, touching or tasting any of them. Still, even with guidelines in place, visitors can fall victim to the plants. This past summer, seven people reportedly fainted from inhaling toxic fumes while walking through the garden. 'People think we're being overdramatic when we talk about [not smelling the plants], but I've seen the health and safety reports,' the Duchess says." Some of the 100 plants in the garden require a government license to possess them. They are marijuana, cocaine and magic mushrooms. They are treated as an educational experience, but to ensure safety, the garden is gated and locked. No one may enter without a guide. Below the photographs is a complete list of plants from The Poison Garden booklet.

Killers and Victims: Interactions with poisons Harold Fredrick Shipman was an English general practitioner Lakhvinder Cheema was murdered in Southall, West London, and one of the most prolific serial killers in history. On 31 by his former lover, Lakhvir Kaur Singh, through the use of January 2000, a jury found Shipman guilty of fifteen murders poison derived from the Indian plant Aconitum ferox, which of patients under his care. He was sentenced to life contains the highly toxic psudaconitine. Singh imprisonment with the recommendation that he never be became known as "The Curry Killer" due to the food to which released. He died January 13, 2004. The poison he used in the poison was added. The poison, Aconitum ferox, is also killing his victims was Papver somniferum (Opium poppy). known as Monks hood.

Graham Young was an English serial killer who used poison Georgi Markov was assassinated on a London street via a to kill his victims. He was sent to Broadmoor Hospital in micro‐engineered pellet containing ricin, fired into his leg 1962 after poisoning several members of his family. After from an umbrella wielded by someone associated with the his release in 1971 he went on to poison 70 more people, Bulgarian Secret Service. It has been speculated that they two of whom died. Young, known as the Teacup Poisoner asked the KGB for help. This incident made world‐wide news. later the St. Albans Poisoner, was sent to Parkhurst Prison where he died on August 1, 1990. He was born September 7, 1947. The poison he used was Atropa Belladonna also known as Deadly night shade.

Above is the cover of The Poison Garden booklet.

Plants Identified in The Poison Booklet: The Solanaceae Family (one of the largest and most diverse plant families which include: Belladonna, Woody nightshade, Brugmansia, Eggplant Henbane, Mandrake, Peppers, Petunia, Potato, Tobacco and Tomato.

Others in alphabetical order: Acontium, Aconitum mapsellus (Common monkshood), Actae yncata (Black baneberry, Herb chistorpher, Bugbane) Aquilegia, Aquilegia alprina,(Alpine columbine), Aquilegia atrata (Columbine, culberwort, Granny's bonnet), Aristolochia clematitis (Birthwort), Artemisia abinthium (Wermud, Wormwood), Arium ritabicum (Italian lords and ladies, Marbled arum), Arum maculatum (Adder's root, Adder's tongue, Bloody man's finger, Cuckoo‐pint, Dead man's finger, Lords and Ladies), Atroysa belladonna (Deadly nightshade), Brugmansia suaveloens AKA Datura (Angel's trumpet), Bryonia vioica (Dead creepers, Death warrant, Shakesberry, White bryony), Bulbocovium vernum AKA Colchicum vernum (Spring meadow saffron), Buscus sempservivres (Box), Camellia sinensis (Tea), Cannabis sativa (Indian hemp, hashish, Ganja, Pot, Dope, Grass, Puff, Weed, Herb, Spliff, Marijuana, Blow), Catha evulis (Khat), Chelivonium majus (Greater celandine, Wartwort, Yellow spit), Cirmicifuga racemose (Black cohosh, Bugbane), Clematis vitalba (Traveller's joy, Old man's beard, Devil's guts, Hag‐rope, Maiden's hair, Virgin's bower), Cochicum autumnale (Meadow saffron , Autumn crocus, Naked ladies), Ceonium maculatum (Poison hemlock), Convallaria majalis (Lilly of the valley, May lily), Cynoglosumm offcianale (Hound's tongue), Daphne merereum (Spurge laurel, Mezereon), Digitalis, Digitalis ferruginea (Rusty foxglove), Digitalis purpurea, Dracunculus vulgaris AKA Arum oranunculus (Dragon arum, Dragon lily), echium vulgare (Bluebottle, Ironweed, Our Saviour's flannel, Viper's bugloss), Erythrozylum coca (Cocaine), Euonymus europaeus (Spindle tree), Euphorbia x martini (Red Spurge), Fritllaria imperialis (Crown imperial), Fritillaria melegris (Blood Warrior, Fritllary, Snake's head), Galanthus nivalis (Snowdrop), Hevera Hibernica (Irish Ivy), Helleborus (Hellebone), (Christmas rose), Helleborus orientalis (Lenten rose),Helleborus foetious (Stinking ), Hercleum mantrgarrianum (Giant hogweed), Hypposphae rhamnoives (Sea buckthorn), Hyacinthoives non‐scripta (Bluelbell, Wild hyacinth), Hyscyamus niger (Henbane), Ilex aquifolium Alaska (Holly), Juniperus communis Repsnva (Common juniper), Koelreuteria paniculaba (Golden rain‐tree), Laburnum anagyvoives (Common laburnum), Lactuca serriola (Prickly lettuce), Leudojum aestivium (Snowflake, Summer snowflake), Lithospermum officianale (Grey millet, Gromwell) ,Lolium tremulentrim (Darnel), Malus "John Dornie' (Crab apple),Manoragora officinarum (Mandrake), Mentha pulegium (Pennyroyal), Mercurialis perennis (Dog's Mercury),Mepilus germanica (Medlar), Narcissus Tresamble (Daffodil), Nepeta x faassenii (Catmint), Neium oleanver (Oleander), Nicotiana Sylvestris (Tobacco plant), Oenanthe crocata (Dead man's fingers, Dropwort, Water hemlock), Papaver somniferum (Opium poppy), Polygonatum ovoratum (Solomon's seal), Prunus laurocerasus (Cherry laurel, Laurel), Psilocybe semilanceata (Magic mushrooms), Pulmonaria angustifolia (Lungwort, Blue cowslip), Pulsatilla vulgaris (Pasque flower), Ranunculus acris (Blister cup, Meadow buttercup), Rheum x hybrivum (Rhubarb), Ricinus communis (Castor bean plant, Castor oil plant), Rosarinus officinalis (Rosemary), Rumex obtusifolius (Broad‐leaved dock, Dock) Ruba fraveloens (Rue), Salix alba Liempve (Willow), Sctellaria laterifolia (Virginia skullcap), Sencio jacobaea (Ragwort), Solanum vulcamara (Bittersweet, Poisonberry, Woody nightshade), Soanum melongena (Aubergine, Eggplant), Storychnos nux‐vomica (Poison nut), Syphoricarpus ablus (Snowberry), Symphytum officinale (Confrey, Knitbone), Taxus baccata (Yew, Irish Yew), Vrtica vioica (Stinging nettle), album (False hellebore, Sneezewort, White hellebore), Verbascum olylmpicum (Aron's rod, Greek mullein, Hag's taper), Vinca major (Greater periwinkle, Sorcerer's violet), Vicum album (Mistletoe, Churchman's greeting, Kiss and go) and Vitex agnus‐castus (Chaste tree, Monk's pepper).

Sources: Tour with guide, Booklet purchased at Alnwick, "The Poison Garden," Wellcome Trust, and others, The Alnwick Garden, https://www.alnwickgarden.com/ , http://www.wiseoldsayings.com/health‐quotes/, https://britishheritage.com/the‐poison‐garden‐of‐alnwick‐castle /, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/step‐inside‐worlds‐most‐dangerous‐garden‐if‐you‐dare‐180952635/. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/7813389/The‐Duchess‐of‐Northumberland‐and‐her‐world‐famous‐Poison‐Garden.html, https://www.amusingplanet.com/2012/06/alnwick‐poison‐garden.html, https://www.answers.com/Q/Why_did_Benjamin_Franklin_say_%27An_ounce_of_prevention_is_worth_a_pound_of_cure%27, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/alnwick‐poison‐garden, https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/cure, https://thetravelinggardener.com/0201/alnwick‐castles‐poison‐garden‐british‐garden‐is‐a‐head‐twirler/ ,https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/07/10/the‐plants‐will‐kill‐you‐the‐alnwick‐poison‐garden‐is‐the‐most‐dangerous‐garden‐in‐the‐world‐2/ https://curiosity.com/topics/the‐poison‐garden‐is‐full‐of‐plants‐that‐can‐kill‐you‐curiosity/ and https://www.ripleys.com/weird‐news/poison‐garden‐ alnwick‐castle/. acuri.net John R. Vincenti Alnwick: The Poison Garden