Angel's trumpet (Brugmansia): how to spot it and why it can be dangerous

Angel's trumpet looks like a garden showstopper: large, hanging trumpet-shaped flowers and big leaves. The plant is pretty, but it contains strong toxins (tropane alkaloids) that can cause serious harm if touched or swallowed. This page gives short, useful advice on identifying the plant, recognizing poisoning, and what to do if someone is exposed.

How to identify angel's trumpet

Brugmansia plants often grow as shrubs or small trees up to several meters tall. Key signs: large, pendulous trumpet flowers that point down, usually white, yellow, pink or orange; big oval leaves with a rough texture; a strong, sweet scent especially at night. Don’t confuse it with Datura (jimsonweed) — Datura’s flowers point up and the seed pods are spiky. If you see long, hanging trumpets, it's likely Brugmansia.

Gardeners often keep it for the dramatic blooms. If you have kids, pets, or curious guests, treat it like a hazardous substance: label it, fence it, or consider removing it.

Risks, symptoms, and what to do

The main chemicals in angel's trumpet — scopolamine, hyoscyamine, and atropine—act on the nervous system. Small amounts can cause dry mouth, blurred vision, big pupils, fast heart rate, dizziness, confusion, and hallucinations. Larger amounts can cause severe agitation, seizures, dangerously high body temperature, breathing trouble, coma, or death.

If skin touches the plant, wash the area with soap and water and remove contaminated clothing. If someone swallows any part of the plant, call your local emergency number or poison control immediately. Do not try to make the person vomit unless a poison control expert tells you to. If possible, bring a photo or a sample of the plant to the hospital — it helps doctors decide treatment faster.

In hospital, care is mostly supportive: fluids, cooling, monitoring heart and breathing, and medications to control agitation or seizures. Activated charcoal may be used if the ingestion was recent. A specific antidote (physostigmine) exists but is used only by experienced clinicians because it carries risks. That’s why getting professional help fast matters.

Be careful mixing exposure risk with medications. Taking other anticholinergic drugs (some allergy pills, tricyclic antidepressants, certain Parkinson’s meds) can make effects worse. If the person is on medication, tell medical staff right away.

Simple prevention goes a long way: wear gloves when handling the plant, keep children and pets away from it, clearly mark it in the yard, and avoid planting it where guests might touch or taste leaves or flowers. If you want the look without the danger, ask a local nursery for safer flowering alternatives.

If you suspect poisoning, don’t wait. Call emergency services or poison control, follow their instructions, and get medical care. Fast action prevents the small mistake from becoming a serious emergency.