Datura

 

From-pixabay 

Kingdom-Plantae  

Division-Tracheophyta  

Class-Magnoliopsida  

Order-Solanales

Family-Solanaceae   

Genus-Datura L. 

Species-Datura stramonium L. 

Nine species of vespertine-flowering, extremely poisonous plants make up the genus Datura. They are also referred to as devil's trumpets (not to be confused with angel's trumpets, which are classified in the closely related genus Brugmansia). They are commonly known as thornapples or jimsonweeds. Other frequent names in English include hell's bells, moonflower, and devil's weed. The seeds and blossoms of all Datura species are particularly toxic and potentially psychedelic, and if consumed internally, they can result in respiratory depression, arrhythmias, fever, delirium, hallucinations, anticholinergic syndrome, psychosis, and even death. They have occasionally been employed throughout history by diverse tribes as both poisons and hallucinogens due to their effects and symptoms.In the past, the hallucinogenic use of Datura species has frequently been connected to witchcraft, sorcery, or other related acts in various civilizations, including the West. Some Native American tribes have also employed common Datura species as entheogens in ritual settings. The majority of non-psychoactive uses of the plant are medicinal, and due to the presence of the alkaloids scopolamine and atropine, which are also produced by Old World plants like Hyoscyamus niger, Atropa belladonna, and Mandragora officinarum, plants of the Datura genus have long been regarded as traditional medicines in both the New and Old Worlds.

Etymology

The genus name Datura is derived from the Sanskrit words "thorn-apple" (dhatra) and "white thorn-apple" (dhattra) (referring to Datura metel of Asia). Different varieties of Datura are also referred to as kanaka and unmatta in the Ayurvedic literature Sushruta Samhita. In Hinduism, Dhatura is offered to Shiva. This name first appears in English documentation in 1662. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne describes one kind as "apple-Peru." Toloache is its common name in Mexico. Tolohuaxihuitl, which translates to "the plant with the nodding head," is the Nahuatl origin of the common name toloache, often spelled tolguacha (in reference to the nodding seed capsules of Datura species belonging to section Dutra of the genus). Daturus means "to give" in.

 Description 

Datura species can grow up to 2 metres tall and are herbaceous, leafy annuals and short-lived perennials. The alternating leaves have a lobed or toothed border, are 10–20 cm long, and 5–18 cm wide. The trumpet-shaped, erect or spreading (as opposed to pendulous like Brugmansia) flowers are 5-20 cm long, 4-12 cm wide at the mouth, and come in a range of colours from white to yellow, pink, and pastel purple. The fruit is a spiny capsule that is 4–10 cm long and 2–6 cm wide. When ripe, the capsule splits open to release the many seeds inside. The seeds freely spread across meadows, farms, and even areas of desolation.Datura is one of the traditional "witches' weeds," along with mandrake, henbane, and deadly nightshade. The genus has a lengthy history of use for producing delirious states and death, and all portions of the plants are poisonous. It was well recognised for being a crucial component of various witchcraft brews, potions, and magical ointments, most notably Datura stramonium.Since it has been used as a medicine in Ayurveda for so long, D. metel has long been considered a poison and an aphrodisiac in India. It is mentioned in Shiva rituals and prayers as well as in Ganesh Chaturthi, a festival honouring the god Ganesha. Some Datura species are consumed by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species, such as Hypercompe indecisa. While insects may prefer to eat Datura leaves, it has been noted that other animals, such cows, will typically avoid doing so. 

Cultivation 

Datura species are typically sown annually from the seed generated in the spiny capsules, however the perennial species with tuberous roots can overwinter if handled carefully. The majority of plants are suitable for planting outdoors or in containers. They often require soil that will keep their roots dry as well as warm, sunny locations. The plants have a propensity to reseed themselves and may become invasive when cultivated outside in favourable conditions. They should be planted in potting soil that is porous, aerated, and has good drainage in pots. Anaerobic organic enrichment, such as anaerobically composted organic materials or manure, should be avoided since the plants are vulnerable to fungi in the root zone.

Species and cultivars

It is challenging to classify Datura as to its species, and descriptions of new species are sometimes accepted too soon. These "new species" are later revealed to be merely variants that have developed as a result of local environmental factors. They typically vanish after a few years. The similar appearance of many species, including D. wrightii and D. inoxia, and the extreme variation within species all contribute to the confusion. For instance, depending on the environment, datura species can alter the size of their plants, leaves, and flowers.The same species can grow into a flowering bush that is half as tall as an adult human of average height when it is grown in a semi-shaded, damp location, but it can only develop into a thin plant that is barely more than ankle high, with tiny flowers and a few tiny leaves when it is grown in a very dry environment. Native to the dry, temperate, and subtropical parts of the Americas, datura species are primarily found in Mexico, which is thought to be the genus's founding country. While D. ferox, D. metel, and D. leichardthii were previously believed to be native to China, India, and Southeast Asia, respectively, recent research has revealed that these species were actually early imports from Central America.The distinct genus Brugmansia has been assigned to a group of South American species that were previously classified under the genus Datura. Brugmansia differs from Datura in that it is woody (the species are shrubs or small trees), and it also has indehiscent fruits. Trompettia cardenasiana, a plant that was formerly mistakenly categorised as belonging to the genus Iochroma, has just been added to the solanaceous tribe Datureae, to which Datura and Brugmansia belong. The origins of D. leichhardtii from Australia, D. ferox from China, and D. metel from Afro-Asia have all been seriously questioned; the three species are almost certainly post-Columbian introductions to the Old World regions to which they were initially believed native.The case of D. metel is exceptional because it is not only a collection of ancient pre-Columbian cultivars developed from D. innoxia in the Greater Antilles, but there is also mounting proof that it was brought to the Indian subcontinent no later than the second century CE. This makes it one of the oldest plant introductions from the New World to the Old World, if not the oldest.D. arenicola is a remarkable new species with a very small range that was only described in 2013. It is so unique that the genus Discola created a new section for it in order to distinguish it from the species name D. discolour. The name arenicola specifically translates to "loving" (or "thriving in") sand. [19] The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, Fourth Edition (2004), designates the American Brugmansia and Datura Society, Inc. (ABADS) as the recognised International Cultivar Registration Authority for Datura. In 2002, the International Society for Horticultural Science assigned ABADS this function.

Toxicity

All Datura plants contain tropane alkaloids, primarily in their seeds and flowers as well as the roots of some species, like D. wrightii. These alkaloids include scopolamine and atropine. Datura has been employed as poison for ages in various civilizations because of the existence of these chemicals. The toxicity of a particular plant is influenced by its age, its environment, and the local weather.Due to these variances, datura is a very dangerous drug. Since datura directly produces anticholinergic syndrome, its traditional mnemonic, "Blind as a bat, crazy as a hatter, red as a beet, hot as a hare, dry as a bone, the bowel and bladder lose their tone, and the heart runs alone," is frequently used to describe the symptoms of its toxicity. Datura appears to dramatically raise the risk of dementia, as does long-term psychoactive/toxic use of other anticholinergic medications.To limit injury in traditional cultures, extensive experience with and knowledge of Datura were necessary. Modern people who consume or smoke Datura cause many catastrophic accidents. There have also been reports of intentional or unintentional poisoning by smoking jimsonweed and other species that are similar. Although D. stramonium, one of the more popular species of Datura, is the one that causes the majority of poisonings, there have been several reports of D. ferox intoxication deaths in the medical literature. Atropine intoxication can be extremely dangerous for children.

Datura toxins may be ingested accidentally by consumption of honey produced by several wasp species, including Brachygastra lecheguana, during the Datura blooming season. These semi-domesticated honey wasps apparently collect Datura nectar for honey production, which can lead to poisoning.Datura has long been used as a common poison for suicide and homicide in several regions of Europe and India. The State Chemical Laboratories in Agra, India, looked into 2,778 deaths that were brought on by consuming datura between 1950 and 1965. Thugs, or "practitioners of thuggee," were allegedly followers of an Indian religious sect made up of robbers and killers who poisoned or strangled their victims as part of rites honouring the Hindu goddess Kali. They were said to use Datura in a number of these poisonings, as well as to make the victim drowsy or stupefied so that strangulation would be simpler.A family of six who unintentionally consumed Datura that was used as an ingredient in stew was hospitalised as a result of accidental poisoning, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Datura plants cannot be bought, sold, or grown in some locations. The Hyoscyameae, which contains well-known toxic species like Hyoscyamus niger and Atropa belladonna, the Solandreae, which contains the genus Solandra ("chalice vines"), and the Mandragoreae, named for the renowned Mandragora officinarum, are solanaceous tribes with similar chemistry (i.e., a similar tropane alkaloid content). The majority.

Effects of  ingestion 

Datura is thought to be deliriant. Datura intoxication frequently results in anticholinergic delirium (usually involving a complete or relative inability to distinguish reality from fantasy), strange thoughts, hyperthermia, tachycardia, strange, and possibly violent behaviour, dry skin, dry mouth, illusions, and severe mydriasis (dilated pupils), with resulting painful photophobia that can last several days. Strong amnesia is another often reported side effect, along with muscle stiffness, urine retention, transient paralysis, disrobing, emotional bluntness, dysphoria, and disorientation. The psychoactive alkaloids atropine and scopolamine are both renowned for their capacity to produce vivid and dream-like hallucinations as well as their distinctive hyperactive effects. About 30 to 60 minutes after taking the herb, symptoms typically start to appear. They are signs.Although it has been observed in certain cases that these symptoms might continue up to two weeks, they typically last between 24 and 48 hours. Atropine and scopolamine, two psychoactive alkaloids, are renowned for their capacity to produce vivid and dreamlike hallucinations as well as their characteristic hyperactive effects. Typically, 30 to 60 minutes after eating the plant, symptoms start to appear. Although it has been observed in certain cases that these symptoms might continue up to two weeks, they typically last between 24 and 48 hours.

Treatment 

People who have had acute Datura toxicity or intoxication are often hospitalised due to their frantic demeanour and confused mental condition. The medicine physostigmine is used to counteract the poisons' effects, while gastric lavage and the administration of activated charcoal can be used to lessen the stomach's absorption of the ingested substance. In addition to supportive care such as oxygen, hydration, and symptomatic treatment, benzos can be administered to calm the patient's agitation. It is advised to keep an eye on the patient until the symptoms go away, which typically takes between 24 and 36 hours after ingesting the datura.