Compounds Found in Daffodils

Since ancient times, it has been known that daffodil bulbs exert toxic effects upon ingestion. Even the name of the daffodil genus,

Narcissus

, implies that daffodils have physiological effects. The word

Narcissus

is derived from the Greek term

narkao

, “to benumb,” because of the narcotic properties attributed to the daffodil bulb. Similarly, the narcotic effects of the daffodil inspired

Socrates

to proclaim the daffodil as “

chaplet of the infernal gods

.” Daffodil bulbs contain powerful emetics; the flowers themselves are slightly poisonous (Figure 27.1).