Why Russia Banned the Gramophone Flower in Gardens

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The popular garden flower Ipomea tricolor, known as „gramophone“, is now banned in Russia.

The reason is that it contains prohibited substances.

Morning glory seeds contain ergine, a hallucinogenic substance whose molecules are similar to LSD, the most famous psychedelic drug.

At the same time, of course, it is impossible to obtain ergin from one plant specimen – to obtain even a minimal amount of this toxin, a very large volume of flowers will be required.

„However, not all varieties contain these substances. There are many types of morning glory – more than 500. Therefore, it is not entirely clear how and who exactly will determine whether this is a prohibited morning glory or not,“ says Sergey Smirnov, the director of the Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Altai State University.

The flower is used in shamanic practices in Russia.

Possession of 10 roots will result in an administrative sanction, and for more, up to 8 years in prison.

The herb zarnesh is also prohibited.

The ban was published on the official legal portal.

Authorities are expected to begin investigations.

The specialist advises in cases where you have doubts about what kind of flower is in front of you, it is better to abandon the gramophone in favor of other plants – there are many equally beautiful ones, for example, kobeya, clematis, hyacinth and others.

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