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Bananæsthesia

 "Nurse, a No 2 burr and evacuation, please."
  (+1, -3)
(+1, -3) 		  [vote for,
against]

I'm allergic to ripe bananas. There is something, probably an ester, in ripe bananas that makes my tongue and lips go numb and affects my capability of normal speech.

Whatever this compound is could be selectively bred, or scientifically manipulated, into a controlled population of medical banana palms for the purpose of providing a safe, natural dental anæsthetic. Think of them as Numbananas.

Many people are afraid of anæsthetic injections at the dentist. No longer, just eat two or three bananas, lay back and think of England.

—UnaBubba, Dec 10 2003

on a somewhat related note... http://www.straight...columns/020426.html
bananadine! ok, so it's only a myth... [utexaspunk, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Aural Bananaesthesia http://www.rathergood.com/bananas/
When the wrong Nanas leave you numb..... [The_Englishman_Abroad, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Bananarama http://www.geocitie...etStrip/Venue/4699/
[half, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Bananas in pyjamas http://www.abc.net....bananas/default.htm
[half, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

The Banana Splits Show http://www.bcdb.com...its_Adventure_Hour/
[half, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

[link]






       Except it would only work for you. Unless, of course, you're also breeding a special opoulation of dental patients.
—DrCurry, Dec 10 2003
   

       Very interesting. Did you breed enough different numbananas for everyone?   

       //opoulation// Is this going to be like the 'elf' thing?
—sartep, Dec 10 2003
   

       Sure looks that way. Fingers appear to be typing more mistakes, faster than my failing eyesight can manage, these days.   

       Hmm... I'm unsure whether it is only me that experiences this problem of bananæsthesia. Is it common, in others' experience?
—UnaBubba, Dec 10 2003
   

       It's never happened to me...but I am commonly orangesthetized. Have you ever chewed on an orange skin for any length of time? Your tongue goes fully numb.
—Overpanic, Dec 10 2003
   

       There's definitely something in them, as I notice this effect too, to a lesser extent. You can also scrape the inside of the skins out (not the actual fruit though) and dry it under a grill before smoking it to get 'high'. It does seem to be an anasthetic style high though.   

       I've always imagined pygmy tribesmen running about with spears coated in banana skin juice for some reason. Every time I have a bit of skin by mistake or those strands that run down the length of the banana, I wonder if it has some other use somewhere in the world. What benefit coating a spear with that stuff would provide I don't know, but that's where my brain wanders.
—Redd Harvest, Dec 10 2003
   

       Sucking a teabag will have the same effect, as tannin is an anæsthetic (as well as being potentially carcinogenic).
—UnaBubba, Dec 10 2003
   

       I like Bananaesthesia much better.
—sartep, Dec 10 2003
   

       I never did figure out whether it was the heavily poppy-seeded bagel, the Welch's grape soda or the combination that made my lips swell and made my tongue and face numb. I'm not signing up to try it again.
—half, Dec 10 2003
   

       Poppy seeds are the seeds of Papaver somniferum, or Opium poppy. One of our state premiers posed for a photo, planting seeds in a public park. When it came out that they were poppy seeds he was embarrassed. It's a criminal act to plant them in most states.
—UnaBubba, Dec 11 2003
   

       I have heard tales of people failing drug tests due to eating poppy seed rolls, bagels, etc.   

       Growing up, I always heard that it was illegal to pick the state flower the Golden Poppy (Eschsholtzia californica) which grew wild and was abundant in our area. I wondered if that had anything to do with its seeds having "medicinal" qualities.
—half, Dec 11 2003
   

       Overpanic - "It's never happened to me...but I am commonly orangesthetized. Have you ever chewed on an orange skin for any length of time? Your tongue goes fully numb!"   

       Chewed on an orange skin? nope, can't say I ever have.. When I was a kid I'd chew on rubber bands though, cheap substitute for bubble gum (now if I can only find mint flavored bands). I wonder if the toxins from the rubber bands had any anaesthetic results. hmmm...
—v0rtexx, Dec 11 2003
   

       The dental assistant would have your bananas laid out and ready for you, identifiable by your name written on them in ballpoint ink.
—waugsqueke, Dec 11 2003
   

       Of course !   

       Oil of cloves was used as a dental anæsthetic until quite recently... around 40 years ago. Very effective.
—UnaBubba, Dec 11 2003
   

       half -- about the drug tests, its true that the poppy seeds set off the drug tests with frightening accuracy. The poppy seeds are metabolized into enough morphine and opiates to set off the test as soon as half an hour. They tested it on 'Mythbusters' on the Discovery Channel. [link]
—Baker^-1, Dec 11 2003
   

       I guess I wasn't ever quite curious enough or botanically inclined enough to research the "Golden Poppy". Never failed a drug test either.
—half, Dec 11 2003
   

       Poppy seeds certainly can set off drug tests. I know of a person who was nearly expelled from flight school after a random drug test. He was exonerated after he had shown that he had eaten poppy seed stollen (a pastry made with a thick poppy seed jelly) for breakfast, but it was a major hassle.
—Freefall, Dec 11 2003
   

       // lay back and think of England //   

       That'll be enough to make me go numb...
—RayfordSteele, Dec 11 2003
   

       That's pretty much the reason for the phrase.
—UnaBubba, Dec 11 2003
   

       Ah... If you need me, I'll be in the remedial humor class, two doors down...
—RayfordSteele, Dec 11 2003
   

       UB if it affects your capability of normal speech, how are u going to explain to the dentist whats wrong? Greater chance of slip-ups. Geddit?
—Avendra, Dec 11 2003
   

       To be honest I saw the word "Numbananas" and my brain went into full rejection.
I 'Want' to pronounce it Numb-Banananas, however I also acknowledge the imperative need for the silent b, and all my brain allows me to come out with is "num-ananas"!!! anyway enjoy the link, thi banana related topic could leave you in Bananaesthesia if listened to for too long...........
—The_Englishman_Abroad, Dec 11 2003
   

       WARNING!   

       Do not operate heavy machinery, or attempt to discharge a firearm under the influence of "Bananaesthesia", "Bananaesthesia" may cause hallucinations and tiny pink Christina Agulara monsters to appear at random.
—thelambs, Dec 11 2003
   

       Damn! Now bananas are off my menu, for good. I used to like bananas.   

       [TEA], that link is evil.
—UnaBubba, Dec 12 2003
   

       (+) for using that a-e combined letter thingy...
—luecke, Dec 12 2003
   

       "Is that a banana in your mouth or are you visiting a dentist?"
No, wait...
"Are you undergoing bananæsthesia or are you just happy to see me? "
That's not quite right...
Q: What do you get when you cross a banana and a dentist?
A: A molar you can write on.
I can't do it! I can't do it!! <pouts>
—k_sra, Dec 12 2003
   

       That's okay, k. You can always join me in remedial humor class...
—RayfordSteele, Dec 12 2003
   

       *sniff* thanks.
—k_sra, Dec 12 2003
   

       Obligatory "Yes, we have numbananas" post.
—friendlyfire, Dec 12 2003
   

       [RayF], *you* may not have noticed, but for British men it often appears to result in numb testicles, strangely enough.
—UnaBubba, Dec 12 2003
   

       Just how often do you apply bananas to your testicles, UB?
—friendlyfire, Dec 12 2003
   

       No thanks, I'm not British.
—UnaBubba, Dec 12 2003
   

       Link?
—RayfordSteele, Dec 12 2003
   

       Not in seven generations.
—UnaBubba, Dec 12 2003
   

       [UnaBubba] Dr. Curry's point is very good. but he is a bad bad man. + in protest.
—nomadic_wonderer, Dec 12 2003
   
      
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