Could Plant's Really Make Us Commit Suicide?

Yes, you read that right, Is it possible for plants to make us commit suicide.

I ask this strange question after watching "The Happening" Last night, Throughout the film, I was thinking to myself, could this actually happen, So, The film goes like this, Basically Plants, can release a Neuro-toxin that can Make us lose a certain function of the brain and cause us to Cause harm to ourselves and commit suicide.

Personally, i don't believe this can happen, but i would like to hear opinions, and some scientific points about this certain topic,

Here is some more Info on the Film:
The Happening Info

reply to post by SkepticDan


I'm not sure that there is a plant that could specifically make you kill yourself. There are plenty though that interact directly, on a molecular and chemical level, with our brains. It would have much more to do with the subject imbibing the plant, than the plant itself, on whether the experience would result in suicide. Death is much more likely to result from incorrect useage.

reply to post by SkepticDan


I don't see happening the same way as it did in, well, the Happening. I do know that people can be swayed by things they are unaware of, including scent ( as is the case with pheromones), and I also know that derivatives of plants (many many medicines) can have personality altering effects, not to mention the effect of plants used for recreation. I just can't think of a stimuli that would produce that sort of effect from a seemingly non sentient life form (unless the trees here are in fact much more like the ones in Avatar than we are aware of... that is all interconnected and imbued with a sort of consciousness, in case you are one of the three people that haven't seen that movie yet).

Also, I have no idea if this helped at all, just wanted to ramble

Are you kidding me?
Is this a joke?
No.
Just no.

maybe if i ate the poor thing.

i had a spider plant talk me into eating pepperoni pizza 4 times a week, tho.

so for really weak minded humans, very possible.

reply to post by SkepticDan

There's a plant where I live? Just by touching the blossom leaves it can make you get delirious - it's poisonous of course and works on your central nervous system. I don't know the name in English - I'll have to check it out. But there are people who've used it to kill others.

Taking that stretch I could see someone touching it, breathed it's scent and getting enough of it into their system to get wacky and run out into traffic or something. Hey, stranger things have happened.

Now if you're talking about the plant 'intentionally' killing people off, like it had a purpose??? That I just don't know.

I have had many plants tempt me to commit suicide,

Yet I always resisted.

Be strong. Be strong

reply to post by silo13


that's the whacka hooomaratichi flower.

it came here 40million years ago.


from space.

it's all black ops and won't be found anywhere.

sorry for your country.

Answer to header is yes.

But you would have to ingest the plantmaterial in some way.

Obvious approach to death by plants:
Eat a poisonous plant

Indirect approaches to death by plants:
French tourist commit suicide on mushrooms.

Some poppys produce Opium...ppl commited suicide on that

Pollen is spread in the air, many people are pollen allergic. I dont know of any pollen that create hallucinations, but in theory it's a possibility.

reply to post by Mimir


true to an extent, no plant can "force" you to kill yourself.

mess with the mind? ya!

would you blame the gun or the bridge you jumped off?

Well, under the right circumstances, yes. Plants can and do release chemicals into the atmosphere, some of which can be fairly toxic. How else would an insect find the flowers, I guess color. But, you can smell flowers which shows the airborne traits of some of these chemicals.

If a plant was to pass a mutation on to the next generation that altered the production of a scent chemical onto a neurotoxin the plant could kill some animals, even humans depending on strength and/or quantity.

Now, what if a mutation caused a plant to release a chemical that could throw hormones out of wack. This hormonal imbalance, if proper proportions existed, could create negative thoughts even depression, which could lead to suicide.

It's almost definitely not going to happen but the possibility is there.

reply to post by DarkSarcasm


You're reaching quite a bit here. You're saying that something is possible in the sense that "anything is possible." As it stands today, no, a plant will not make you kill yourself.

But, and I hate myself for adding fuel to the fire...

Pyrethrin. It is extracted or synthesized from the Chrysanthemum. It is a neurotoxin and found in many insecticides (think RAID). That said, it still won't make you An Hero. But poisoning.... maybe, whatever, it's a far stretch...

Originally posted by SpringHeeledJack
Are you kidding me?
Is this a joke?
No.
Just no.

idk about plants but there are certain medications that have a possible side effect of causing suicidal thoughts.

you certainly seem to be trolling a lot of threads.

No not possible at all...although a drug could been made to do that

I'll have to just throw this here because I can't find the programme after losing all my bookmarks. Can't remember just how many species and whether it just pertains to trees but they communicate chemically and when one is attacked it communicates and other trees/plants in the area will begin to produce toxins to ward off the threat. So make sure you feed your plants or else they'll be ganging up on you.

Heroin kills plenty of people who all know the risks involved and in all reality have kind of committed suicide by pursuing their habit even though they knew it would ultimately kill them. The same could be said for tobacco.

Edit to add ...I saw that film the other night on Film4 the the story was a good one however I believe that trees could be the death of their careers because the acting was so wooden. The worst film I have seen in ages almost laughable. What was Mark Wahlberg thinking of.

It seems that recently plants have been discovered to be capable of many things we never thought possible- I remember a while back reading an article about bomb sniffing plants. And i have also recently watched a video about the dogon tribe, and included was a segment about how plants are better antenna than modern electronics... i have a link if interested. I think plants do have the power to influence people, albeit indirectly.

Originally posted by fooksi had a spider plant talk me into eating pepperoni pizza 4 times a week, tho.

Houseplants are manipulative little mind control artists. The should call them Svengaliplants instead.

I recall reading once about a form of Salvia that was/is used by shamans. A kid called Brett was using it then eventually did the suicide no return ride. Not sure of all the facts around it but the parents claimed it effected his perception on life to the point of feeling hopeless all the time and suicide was the only answer. Bit like a lot of Pharma Drugs. Anyway... there was a law that came through because of it called Brett's Law.... don't recall what that was about either.

Actually, there Is a possibility but its not really a "plant" its a fungus. I cannot remember the name, but there is a type of fungus that eats insects, there are different species for different type of bugs, the most common one is for red ants. Basically it attracts the ants, once the ant gets to it, it kills the ant, and then "revives it" sort of. It makes it call its other ant friends to come over and do the same, and then the fungus actually grows into the insect. So it doesn't work on humans, but who's to say those can't evolve? I'm looking for the video of it and the name now, i'll reply when I find it.

*edit* Its called Cordyceps

www.youtube.com...