Datura is a name in English.
The family Solanaceae has nine species of poisonous vespertine flowering plants.They are commonly known as thornapples or jimsonweeds, but also as devil's trumpets.Devil's weed is one of the English common names.The seeds and flowers of Datura can cause respiratory depression, arrhythmias, and even death if taken internally.It has been used as a hallucinogen by various groups throughout history, due to its effects and symptoms.In the past, daturas has been associated with witches and similar practices in many cultures, including the Western world.Some Native American groups have used certain common datura species as entheogens.In both the New and Old Worlds, the plant's alkaloids are considered to be traditional medicines due to their non-psychoactive use.[6]
Sanskrit dhatra 'white thorn-apple' is the root of the name Datura.Different species of Datura are referred to as kanaka and unmatta.Shiva is offered dhatura in Hinduism.The record of this name is in English.In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne refers to one type as apple-Peru.Toloache is its common name in Mexico."The plant with the nodding head" is what the Mexican common name toloache means.
Datura species can reach up to 2 m in height.The leaves are long and broad with a toothed margin.The flowers vary in colour from white to yellow, pink, and pale purple.The fruit is 4–10 cm long and 2–6 cm broad and splits open when ripe to release seeds.The seeds can be found over pastures, fields and wasteland locations.
The classic "witches' weeds" are Datura, henbane, and mandrake.Datura has a long history of use for causing death and delirious states, and all parts of the plants are toxic.Datura stramonium was an essential ingredient of magic and was used in witches' brew.[10][11]
The species Datura metel has been used as a medicine in India for thousands of years.It features in rituals and prayers to Shiva and in a festival dedicated to the deity.Hypercompe indecisa is a butterfly species that eats Datura species.
It's difficult to classify Datura as a species, and it can happen that the descriptions of new species are accepted too early.These new species are simply varieties that have evolved due to a specific location.They usually disappear in a few years.The confusion is caused by the fact that various species are very similar in appearance.Depending on location, Datura species can change the size of plant, leaf, and flowers.When growing in a half-shady, damp location, the same species can grow into a flowering bush half as tall as an adult human of average height, but only if the location is very dry.Most of the Datura species are found in Mexico, where they are considered the centre of origin.Datura ferox was thought to be native to China, but recent research has shown that the species is actually from Central America.It was [13].
A group of South American species that used to be part of the genera Datura have been placed in the distinct genera Brugmansia and have indehiscent fruits.The tribe Datureae, which includes Datura and Brugmansia, has recently acquired a new, monotypic genus.
The current edition of The Plant List does not list any of the fourteen species of Datura that the Preissels accept.):
D. leichhardtii is close enough to be subsumed in a single species.The Chinese, Australian and Afro-Asiatic provenances of D. metel have been cast into serious doubt.[15]
The case of Datura metel is unique in that the plant is not a true species at all but an assortment of ancient pre-Columbian cultivars, and that evidence is mounting that it was introduced to the Indian subcontinent no later than.It is one of the most ancient plant introductions from the New World to the Old.There are 15 and 12 words.
Datura arenicola is a new species that has merited the creation of the new section Discola as it is so distinctive and restricted in range."loving" is what the specific name arenicola means."thriving in") sand".[17]
The 2004 edition of the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants designates the American Brugmansia and Datura Society, Inc. as the official International Cultivar registration authority.The International Society for Horticultural Science delegated this role to ABADS in 2002.
The perennial Datura species can be sown annually from the seed produced in the spiny capsule.Plants are suited to being planted outside or in containers.They need warm, sunny places to keep their roots dry.When grown outdoors in good locations, the plants tend to reseed themselves.They should have porous soil with adequate drainage.Aerobically composted organic matter or manure should not be used because the plants are susceptible to fungi in the root area.10
All Datura plants have tropane alkaloids in their seeds and flowers as well as the roots of some species.Datura has been used as a poison in some cultures because of the presence of these substances.A given plant's toxicity depends on its age, where it is growing, and the weather.Datura is hazardous as a drug.
A lot of experience with and knowledge of Datura was important to minimize harm in traditional cultures.Many tragic incidents result from modern users consuming or smoking Datura.In the 1990s and 2000s, the United States media reported stories of adolescents and young adults dying or becoming seriously ill from consuming Datura.There have been reports of poisoning caused by smoking jimsonweed and other related species.There are reports of deaths from D. ferox intoxication in the medical literature.Children are more vulnerable to atropine poisoning.[25][26]
Datura is a popular poison for suicide and murder in parts of Europe and India.The State Chemical Laboratories in Agra investigated 2,778 deaths caused by Datura.A group of devotees of an Indian religious cult made up of robbers and assassins were said to have killed and/or poisoned their victims in rituals devoted to the Hindu goddess Kali.They were said to have used Datura to make strangulation easier.[28]
During the Datura bloom season, honey produced by several wasp species may be eaten accidentally.It appears that the semi-domesticated honey wasp collect Datura nectar for honey production which can lead to poisoning.[29]
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a family of six were hospitalized after accidentally eating Datura.30
It is not allowed to cultivate Datura plants in some places.Solanaceous tribes have a similar chemistry.The Solandreae contains the well-known toxic species of Atropa belladonna and the Mandragore.
Datura is a deliriant.Due to the potent combination of anticholinergic substances it contains, Datura intoxication can cause a wide range of effects.There are many reported effects such as muscle stiffness, urinary retention, temporary paralysis, and confusion.The symptoms begin around 30 to 60 minutes after ingestion.The symptoms last from 24 to 48 hours, but can last up to 2 weeks in some cases.[21][32]
According to Christian Rtsch, a mild, moderate, and high dose produces a wide range of effects.Wade Davis is an ethnobotanist and he lists it as an essential ingredient.[33]
Datura has received as many severely negative recreational experience reports as any other substance.Most of the people who describe their use of Datura find it very unpleasant and dangerous.According to anthropologists, indigenous groups, with a lot of experience with and detailed knowledge of Datura, have been known to use it as a spiritual medium.Adequate knowledge of Datura's properties is needed for a safe experience.The Southern Paiute believe Datura can help locate missing objects.In ancient Mexico, Datura played an important role in the religion of the Aztecs and the practices of their medicine men and necromancers.[37]