The Epstein files continue to attract attention across the world. Each day, new revelations tumble from the documents, with the fallout being witnessed by all.
Just when it seemed that the Epstein saga couldn’t get more disturbing, new details have emerged that are unsettling. According to TMZ, the latest claim is that Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier and child sex offender, grew “trumpet plants” in his nursery.
While this reference might seem harmless, many note that Angel’s Trumpet plants are extremely toxic and produce a drug called scopolamine.
Epstein files and mentions of Trumpet Plants
One email from 2014 shows that Epstein sent an email to an individual named Ann Rodriguez. In that brief message, he wrote: “Ask Chris about my trumpet plants at nursery [SIC]?”
Jeffrey Epstein asks about ‘zombie drug’ plants at nursery
Emails show he inquired about angel’s trumpet — a toxic plant that can wipe recent memories, block clear thinking, and in extreme cases cause paralysis or death pic.twitter.com/cELjgAQuMz
— RT (@RT_com) February 17, 2026
In another email dated January 2015, photographer Antoine Verglas reportedly sent an email titled ‘Scopolamine: Powerful drug growing in the forests of Colombia that eliminates free will’ to Epstein. The mail included forwards from Daily Mail and Vice detailing scopolamine as a substance that could leave people ‘highly suggestible’. Various striking lines were highlighted from the article like, “You can guide them wherever you want. It’s like they’re a child.”
Another email in 2022 recounts the impact of being exposed to scopolamine. In what is described as a “victim impact statement,” a certain Joseph Manzaro recounts a disturbing incident from December 2014 in which he alleges he was drugged with scopolamine — a tropane alkaloid produced by various plants, including Angel Trumpet. It is unclear who Joseph Manzaro is and how he is linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
Angel Trumpet plants, scopolamine and zombie effects
The plants referred to in the Epstein files are believed to be Angel Trumpet, which is extremely toxic and produces a drug called scopolamine.
Scientifically known as Brugmansia, Angel Trumpet is a small tree, which is common in gardens and greenhouses. The most recognisable aspect of the Angel’s Trumpet is its flowers. These trumpet-shaped, pale flowers give it its name thanks to their beautiful colours and sweet fragrance. Angel’s Trumpet flowers can grow to be almost 50 centimetres long, but most stay within the 10-to-20-centimetre range.
Few know that Angel’s Trumpet plants are very toxic. Inhaling, touching, and eating any part of an Angel’s Trumpet can have several side effects.
According to research, Angel’s Trumpet contains compounds such as scopolamine, atropine, and hyoscyamine. All three compounds are anticholinergic, which means they block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, a compound responsible for nerve transmission in the nervous system. As a result, anticholinergic compounds can inhibit the parasympathetic nervous system and affect the heart and digestive system.
According to the Encyclopaedia of Shamanism, the plant also induces a powerful trance with violent and unpleasant effects, sickening aftereffects, and, at times, temporary insanity. In the journal Pathology, its effects are described as “terrifying rather than pleasurable”.
In the medical world, scopolamine is used to prevent motion sickness and nausea. It also reduces saliva production before surgery. However, also nicknamed ‘Devil’s Breath’, it has gained a dark reputation as a substance that can erase memory, strip away free will, and facilitate serious crimes.
In Colombia and other parts of South America, scopolamine has been allegedly used in countless robberies and sexual assaults. Victims describe feeling dreamlike, compliant, and unable to resist or recall events. That’s what makes it so sinister – it robs people of both agency and memory.
It has been reported that the drug retrieved from the plant is often administered sneakily. In its powdered form, it is odourless and tasteless, making it easy to slip into drinks or blow into someone’s face, as some victims have reported. Once ingested, the drug works quickly and exits the body within about 12 hours, making it hard to detect in routine drug screenings.
Angle Trumpet plant and Hindu mythology
Away from the Epstein files, the Angel Trumpet plant has a strong resonance in Hindu mythology. Legend has it that Datura, as the plant is called, emerged during the churning of the cosmic ocean, when poison surfaced before the nectar of immortality. Lord Shiva consumed the deadly poison to save the universe, holding it in his throat, which turned blue.
The plant is still offered in temples, especially during Maha Shivratri, even though its toxicity is well known.
Epstein files fallout continues
Meanwhile, the fallout over the Epstein files continues. Several high-profile individuals have resigned or quit from positions of power as they have been linked to the disgraced financier, who died in his jail cell in 2019.
The latest addition to the list is
Thomas Pritzker, the chairman of Hyatt Hotels. The 75-year-old billionaire announced that he would not seek re-election to the board at the annual stockholder meeting. Recently released files show Pritzker and Epstein exchanged friendly emails after the latter’s 2008 plea deal.
Kathryn Ruemmler, a former White House counsel under then-President Barack Obama, announced her resignation from Goldman Sachs on February 12, effective at the end of June. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ruemmler was one of three people Epstein called when he was arrested in July 2019. She once thanked Epstein after receiving luxury gifts from him, calling him “Uncle Jeffrey.”
Former
US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are also slated to give depositions to the House Committee next week. The former president said he cut off contact with Epstein decades ago, while Hillary Clinton says she never met Epstein.
With inputs from agencies
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