Burundanga - a new word for me. It is an odorless, tasteless powder said to be derived from the flower of the borrachero tree. We'll get to the tasteless part in a minute.

The magazine article I am reading is in Latino University, November 2008. A photograph shows flowers that look like Angels' Trumpets, attractive plants you can grow from seed at home. In warm climates such as California, the Sun Belt, and Mexico, the plant does not winter kill. Non-stop growth leads to gigantic shrubby plants.

The nickname for this substance, "Columbian Devil's Breath", translates as scopolamine, a drug once used for women in childbirth. It was popularly thought that it made labor painless. What it really did was cause amnesia. When the drug wore off, women did not remember their labor. It is difficult to believe that the medical establishment really believed that to be true. I have read accounts about women sedated with scopolamine screaming and clawing, and that doesn't sound like they were pain-free to me.

"Devil's Breath or scopolamine - is known for its zombifiying (That's right, -ying) effect, completely ridding the user of his free will." Parenthetical words are mine. It actually makes you think you're unconscious.

So, in a way, there are real zombies. "Although you appear sober and coherent, you can't remember anything you did while on the drug." So just watch your drinks, noses, and hands when traveling to South America because you don't want to end up burundangiado."

As if the effect weren't bad enough, this powder can be put in your food or drink. It can be blown into a victim's face, smeared on a business card, and even dusted into a bouquet of roses delivered to your door. The perpetrator can rob you, molest you, or even beat you up. You really won't remember that it ever happened unless there is physical evidence.

It's not just another date-rape drug.