Datura is a nightshade plant and a drug plant. In the past, doctors prescribed the herb as a remedy for asthma, restlessness and pain. Today, datura is a garden plant that people with addiction problems abuse to get high.
Occurrence and cultivation of the common datura.
Probably the original form of the datura originates from the Mediterranean region, only man ensured a worldwide spread. In Central Europe, the plants grow in gardens or on overgrown plots. Datura (Datura stramonium) is a plant species of the Solanaceae family. The annual and therefore herbaceous plant is thus related to poisonous plants such as belladonna and henbane. Potatoes, tomatoes and peppers are also related to the plant. The datura, which grows about one, rarely two meters high, bears serrated, thistle-like leaves. The white or pink calyxes, up to 20 centimeters long, resemble those of the angel’s trumpet. Flowering begins in June and extends into September. The green, roundish-oval fruits are covered with spines. They open when the seeds ripen at the seams of the four carpels. The black seeds are the size of pinheads. Probably the original form of the datura originates from the Mediterranean region, only man ensured a worldwide spread. In Central Europe, the plants grow in gardens or on overgrown plots of land. Today there are many cultivated varieties. The nightshade plant thrives best in nutrient-rich and not too moist soils. Optimally, ruderal plants develop on rubble sites in sunny places (rudus, Latin: rubble).
Effect and application
All plant parts of datura contain alkaloids. The chemicals of this class of substances are organic nitrogen compounds that react alkaline (counter-reaction to the acidic property). The main alkaloids of the nightshade plant are scopolamine and hyoscyamine, which have two effects in the body: First, they relieve cramps in the muscles, and second, they affect nerve functions. The latter happens because the alkaloids influence the transmission of stimuli between the nerve cells. They reduce or increase the release of neurotransmitters. These are messenger substances that one nerve cell sends to the next to trigger electrical transmission of the signal. Hyoscyamine and scopolamine therefore interfere with the biochemical transmission of stimuli between the nerve cells. In the overall nervous system, this causes not only pain relief but also psychological relaxation and intoxication. An overdose of alkaloids can cause psychotic states and hallucinations, and even death. The lethal dose (lethal amount) is 0.05 grams, in which case the consumer dies from respiratory paralysis. Stone Age people have already used datura as an intoxicating drug. The hallucinogenic effect was appreciated by some ethnic groups for ritual religious purposes and probably also had an importance in shamanism. Thus, it was common to smoke the dried leaves or to boil them as tea. In the Middle Ages, healers applied the plant parts to wounds to relieve pain. Even into the 19th century, doctors prescribed datura cigarettes as medicine. Today, datura preparations are used in homeopathy and are available as alcoholic extracts or tablets in pharmacies. In addition, datura plays little role in pharmacy today because there are alternative medicines. The modern remedies work better and have fewer side effects. Datura stramonium is covered by the German Medicines Act (AMG). This means that traders are only allowed to offer the seeds and plants if they do not claim that the product is medicine or can be taken orally. That is why the nightshade plant is only put on the market as an ornamental plant, where garden enthusiasts purchase the seeds or seedlings of the datura. For the plants have a decorative appearance and the dried fruits are good for making autumnal arrangements.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
However, not only flower lovers buy the datura. People with addiction problems also obtain the seeds on the legal market and grow the seedlings or harvest fruits and leaves from wild locations. Consumption is supposed to produce a high, but carries a high risk.This is because the content of alkaloids in the crude drug is subject to strong fluctuations. The literature indicates that the concentration of scopolamine and hyoscyamine can be between 0.2% and 0.6% (based on fresh weight). This depends not only on the genetic constitution of the plant, but also on the ecological site conditions. The widely varying alkaloid content makes it difficult to estimate a tolerable dose. This can lead to deaths among users. In the 19th century, physicians treated bronchial asthma and other severe coughs with scopolamine and hyoscyamine. Datura leaves were available in many pharmacies as cigarettes, which produced the best effect before the invention of technical synthetic sprays. In addition, teas made from Datura leaves were supposed to help against restlessness. Poultices with the leaves of the nightshade plant achieved a soothing effect on rheumatism. Preparations of datura were always means of acute intervention, indicated when necessary. Permanent medication, on the other hand, is not useful, which is why the preparations are not suitable for prophylaxis of diseases. Families with small children should not plant datura in the garden. The danger of poisoning is too great. Currently, doctors and alternative practitioners prescribe only homeopathic Datura preparations in the potency from D4 (dilution: one in ten thousand) to D6 (dilution: one in one million). In these low concentrations, none of the life-threatening side effects are to be expected. The medicines are supposed to help against nerve pain and restlessness, but also against violent respiratory diseases with severe coughing attacks. In addition, homeopaths also prescribe the datura remedies for the treatment of infections and inflammatory eye irritations.
