bianca's Herb Garden : Scotch Broom
This leguminous shrub is native to Europe and naturalized in North America.
It grows wild all over the West. The seeds and twigs taste bitter and are
used as a diuretic, sometimes with dandelion root. It is also used as a
cardiac stimulant and narcotic but can be poisonous in large doses,
paralyzing the respiratory and motor centers and causing convulsions and
death. (ah, bianca just loves this stuff) It is said that the tops rolled
and smoked in a cigarette are a mild hallucinogen. This effeect varies
depending on where the plants are grown. (bianca's garden has been known
to produce a mightly fine Scotch Broom)