Brunfelsia grandiflora

yesterday, today and tomorrow

Yesterday, today and tomorrow is so named because its flowers progress in color from purple (yesterday) to lavender (today) to white (tomorrow) as they age. This plant is a profuse bloomer from spring into summer and at any given point during its bloom, you can see all three flower colors on the plant.

Like other members of the Nightshade Family, yesterday, today and tomorrow is toxic. When the right parts of the plant are used in the right dosage, however, they can be used to treat a few conditions. The main active compound in the plant is scopoletin, which has been shown to be effective in regulating blood pressure and lessening inflammation, but it is not used extensively in Western medicine; most use of the plant remains within traditional societies as a purgative and a treatment for rheumatism.

Amazonian tribes sometimes use this plant as a supplemental ingredient in hallucinogenic Ayahuasca brews, which are used to experience other dimensions and also bring about profound spiritual healing.

Tea made from the roots of yesterday, today and tomorrow has been used by shamans of the Kofán tribe to look into the body of a patient to discover what is wrong with him or her, if this is not outwardly apparent. As with the use of any toxic plant, dosage is absolutely key and makes the difference between the desired effect and poisoning to even the point of death. Indeed, some individuals who have experimented with the plant themselves in hopes of an ethereal experience have ended up with a number of undesirable side-effects that brought at least one individual close to death.

This plant has few problems growing in a wide range of soil conditions and produces blooms in part sun to part shade.