Odysseus, king of Ithaca, travels back to his kingdom after the Trojan war. In the ten years of journey to reach his kingdom Odysseus face various adventures each as fascinating as others.

Eurylochus, second in command of Odysseus’ ship was chosen by casting lots to set out with twenty-two men to explore the island of Aeaea where they visit the house of Circe.

Circe is known as goddess of magic in Greek Mythology, she is believed to be daughter of Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. Circe can turn others into wild beast with her magic wand and potions. She is believed to have lived on the mythological island of Aeaea east of Valencia, Spain.

When the witch, Circe, invites all inside her house for food and drinks suspecting trouble Erylochus stays back. Circe with her magic potion turns all into pigs! They were like pigs-head, hair, and all, and they grunted just as pigs do; but their senses were the same as before, and they remembered everything.

One of the most common arguments is that Circe was feeding the crew jimson weed. While that sounds innocent enough, Datura stramonium, as it is known in the scientific world, belongs to the deadly nightshade family and contains high levels of anti-cholinergic alkaloids such as scopolamine, hyoscyamine and atropine. These compounds block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from interacting with its receptors in the brain. When this neurotransmitter is blocked, we can’t distinguish reality from fantasy, we exhibit bizarre behavior, and we can suffer pronounced amnesia. “Patients who consume this stuff often have vivid hallucinations and become seriously delirious,” says Harvard Medical School toxicologist Alan Woolf.

http://discovermagazine.com/2015/nov/17-rooted-in-truth

Hermes helps Odysseus by giving an antidote which was a plant with black roots and white flowers to revive his men from hallucination.

Exposure to certain Dangerous Goods may result in  mental confusion.

Mental confusion state is the name given to the condition where a casualty becomes confused and disoriented after being poisoned by a chemical, including alcohol and illicit substances. Even hallucinations (hearing voices and/or seeing terrifying images) can occur either as a direct result of the chemical on the brain, e.g. chlorinated hydrocarbons, or indirectly, when the function of vital organs such, as heart, liver, or kidney is severely disturbed by poisons.

Table 6 and appendix 6 of Medical First Aid guide in the Supplement of IMDG Code is for TOXIC MENTAL CONFUSION. Radio Medical Advice must always be sought while treating such conditions of exposed person.