|  Botany
Small tree or large
shrub growing to a height of 3 meters. Leaves are simple, opposite,
ovate-lanceolate, 13-18 cm long, 6-8 cm wide, with pointed tips, usually
rounded bases, with entire or hairy margins. Flowers are large, about
20 cm long, creamy white, pendulous, and musklike in odor. Calyx is
tubular, entire and spathelike. Corrola tube is cylindrical with very
big lobes.
Distribution
Recently introduced;
cultivated as ornamental plant in Baguio. Occasional in the lowlands.
Properties
Leaves and seeds yield
alkaloids with narcortic properties.
Chief alkaloids found in datura are atropine, hyoscyamine, hyoscine
(scopolamine) and meteloidine.
Flowers, leaves, stems, seeds and roots contain scopolmaine and hyoscyamine.
The roots have some atropine and a little hyoscyamine. An alkaloid,
floripondine, has been found in the leaves.
Parts
used and preparation
Leaves.
.
Uses
Folkloric
Poultice of leaves applied
externally to boils and to relieve pain.
Plant used for belladonna if given in nigh doses.
In Ayurveda, used for
arthritis, ulcers, back pain, skin diseases, sciatica, dandruff.
Used for rheumatism, worms, colds, fever, erisypelas, cramps, asthma,
hemorrhoids.
In the Ecuadorian Amazon, used as hallucinogenic; used by shamans for bewithcing and curing. Also, the stems and branches, cut longitudinally are applied to the head or painful body part, bandaged to the area for 15 minutes.
Concers/
Toxicity
• Use of plant as hallucinogen and intoxicant from
the hyocyamine content.
The chief alkaloids found in datura are atropine, hyoscyamine, hyoscine
(scopolamine) and meteloidine. Poisoning can occur with overdose of
any of the alkaloids. As little as 4 grams of leaf can be fatal to a
child. source
Availability
• Spasmolytic Alkaloids: Results showed dose-dependent reduction of electrical contractions of guinea-pig ileum and reduction of the electrical and the Ach-induced contractions of the ileum. Three active substances identified were tropane alkaloids – atropine, scopolamine and nor-hyoscine.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
Ornamental cultivation. |
