There are many idioms and proverbs that constitute the greatest wealth of our language. One of the most interesting ones among them is ‘You can’t sit at the bottom and shade of the walnut tree, it will kill the man early.’ is the word. This word is often used by people in areas where walnut trees are common. In fact, in recent years, a scientific statement allegedly made by the public has been circulating on social media.
‘One cannot sit under the shade and under the walnut tree, it kills the man early.’ Hearing the word, everyone may think of the possibility of dying from a walnut falling on their head, but the explanation is a little deeper. Deep though deep, we have no proof of how true it is. Bride ‘Can’t sit under the walnut tree and in its shade, it will kill the man early.’ Let’s take a closer look at the word and the scientific explanation for this saying.
A word whose story and meaning is not quite known:
‘One cannot sit under the shade of the walnut tree, it will kill the man early.’ The word is a folk expression that is frequently used especially in the Taurus region of our country. The origin and spread story is not known exactly, but it is used in all regions where walnut trees are common. There is a scientific explanation that has been circulating in recent years about this word, whose meaning is not known exactly like its story.
Scientific explanation of the phrase ‘One cannot sit at the bottom and shade of a walnut tree, it kills a man early’:
First appeared with a post on Facebook in 2015 ‘You can’t sit under the walnut tree and in its shade, it will kill the man early.’ According to the scientific explanation of his word, the walnut tree emits sulfur gas and this gas sinks to the bottom because it is heavier than other gases in the air. People who spend a long time next to the walnut tree are poisoned by this gas and even die.
‘One cannot sit under the shade and under the walnut tree, it kills the man early.’ According to the scientific explanation of his word, no plants grow around it due to the sulfur gas emitted by the walnut tree. It is also an important part of the explanation that the sulfur gas emitted by the walnut tree repairs the ozone layer and therefore walnut trees should be planted everywhere.
We cannot say that this explanation is completely correct:
‘You can’t sit under the walnut tree and its shade, it will kill the man early.’ The explanation made for the word, which is claimed to be scientific, is not entirely correct, even if it sounds good. Each part of the trunk of walnut trees secretes a chemical called juglone. However, this substance is not harmful to humans or other plants and animals as stated.
The claim that no plant grows around walnut trees, which is mentioned in the scientific statement, is also not true. Many plants grow around walnut trees, including their own saplings. Of course, since the walnut tree, like all trees, absorbs most of the minerals and water from the soil it is in, it is obvious that the plants around it will not be very productive.
Let’s come to the claim that the deadly sulfur gas emitted by the walnut tree improves the ozone layer; What is sulfur gas? Is the sulfur gas in the statement made sulfur dioxide or hydrogen sulfide? Let’s say it’s one of the two. Yes, some studies were done on the ozone layer healing properties of these gases at the time, but no results were ever found to prove this claim.
The gases secreted by the walnut tree do not easily harm people:
‘You cannot sit at the bottom and shade of the walnut tree, it kills the man early.’ The explanation made for the word, which is claimed to be scientific, is partially wrong. Yes, the walnut tree releases a chemical gas, but this gas does not easily harm anyone.
Not every plant can withstand the juglone gas emitted by the walnut tree, but since many woody plants are not affected by this gas, other plants can grow around the walnut tree. As for the power to improve the ozone layer, unfortunately this is not true either. It is even said to cause acid rain if used.
‘One cannot sit under the shade and under the walnut tree, it kills the man early.’ We examined the scientific explanation of the word and talked about how true this scientific explanation is. Sometimes, some information can spread quickly, as in this example. It would be best to do a few simple Google searches before believing it.
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