I Touched the Worlds Most Painful Plant - Gympie Gympie (The Suicide Plant)

Science Bros:
@williamosman
@PeterSripol

[TheBackyardScientist]

Have you ever been stung or burned from a plant before?

[Mr.Spongecake]

"[Something called "the Suicide Plant"] is native to Australia..."

Sounds about right.

[tuxedo-fish]

I love the basic human experience of "this hurts" leading to "cool, let me try!"

[Nyrufa]

"Not only do these peptides activate pain receptors, but they prevent them from turning off, too." - Wow, didn't know plants understood the concept of spite!

[heatherb]

Im Australian and my husband got stung by one of these on his leg Gympie gympies. He went to the ER when he first did it to get something for the pain but there’s not much you can do for it. 7 months later, he still has excruciating pain, especially when cold air or water hits his legs. The pain can last years. You got lucky.

[AverytheCubanAmerican]

"Zuko, remember that plant that I thought might be tea?"
"You didn't..."
"I did, *and it wasn't"*

[benjaminli]

The madlad actually did it. I appreciate that the title wasn't clickbait.

[Matthew]

Plant: *Evolves neuro toxin needles to keep itself safe*

Humans: "I like pain."

[RodFearn]

Back in Queensland, I saw a kid in a lot of pain after he brushed against some gympie gympie. An executive type bloke came over and asked what happened and as soon as we told him he inexplicably rubbed his hands on the leaf! I've never seen anyone go down so fast. I imagine a similar scenario played out every weekend.

[kaianimations]

“Used the leaf as a toilet paper, ended up shooting himself”

Wow I felt that pain just by listening to it.

[lysander]

Apparently the collector didn't tell you not to set it on fire. Those needles don't burn easily, and can actually go airborne. You were very lucky not to breathe any in.

[cshaw]

“What do the berries taste like?”

“Pain”

[liamwatson]

Im from Queensland, Australia and i lived in Gympie which is the town literally named after this plant, i got stung once trecking in the bush.. it must have been a big leaf and pretty bad because it was like being punched in the face, i fell down disorientated and later it became excrusiating for a few days.. it got kinda better after time, hot or cold water set it off again for like 2 years.. i got a coin sized numb spot on my arm that lasted almost 10 years and can still feel something wrong with my arm to this day.. super nasty and you would probly die from shock if you got too much

[SeanHodgins]

Note to self: Don't walk barefoot in your driveway.

[TheBeastlyFollower]

*puts itching buring welts in chemical laced pool water*
"I think that made it worse!"

Truly a scientist.

[russellcronin]

As someone from the town of Gympie, named after the gympie gympie plant, I found this quite entertaining. Gladly, I've never had a significant encounter with one, but we were always on the lookout when bushwhacking through the forest. I did test out a different species of stinging tree on the back of my hand one time, and found that the pain in my lymph glands quickly matched the localised pain on the skin. And for a month or two after, every time I reached into a vending machine, it would disturb the spot on the back of my hand again, and give me another little dose of the pain.

[ambermay]

We went on a school trip to an area that had these. the guide showed us them and told us to stay away. Several kids thought it was a joke and had to have an ambulance called it was so bad. Also were it grows can have an impact on how bad it is. Growing it in a pot away from it's natural habitat probably made it a bit more tame than it is normally.

[mindrolling]

My husband works in an Australian Botanic Garden and they had a Gympie Gympie in one of the glasshouses. Over the years he started to feel ill being around it, and then two other gardeners had anaphylactic reactions working near it. Turns out the ‘hairs’ shed, which made sense, and could enter the respiratory system. Husband called time on it and they torched it

[Huggbees]

I used to think you were tough. But losing a fight to a plant? Come on man.

[Vampwatch]

Be careful when you hit the plant, the needles can detach and suspend themselves in the air because they are so light. You can get them in your lungs that way and it would be terrible.