Datura is often used in borders and container plants. It is easily recognized by its long, white blooms, bluish foliage and unusual seed pods. Datura produces 4- to 8-inch-long, white trumpet-shaped flowers that may be tinged with pale lavender. Plants bloom during summer. They are bushy and grow 3 to 5 feet tall with ovate bluish-green foliage.
What does a Datura plant look like?
Datura plants are shrubby and spreading (L) with leaves that vary in color from medium green to gray-green and with entire to lobed or toothed margins (C and R).
Are Datura seeds psychoactive?
Unlike most species, the seeds and flowers of Datura wrightii and the flowers of Datura discolor are non-psychoactive. [2] What is the safest way to take datura? There are several ways to ingest Datura plants, including Datura Stramonium. The plants can be smoked, brewed into a tea, or converted into a skin ointment.
What are the signs and symptoms of Datura poisoning?
Datura poisoning is characterized by 10 key symptoms, or the “10 Ds”: dryness of mouth; dysphagia (difficulty swallowing); dilated pupils; diplopia (double vision); dry, hot skin; drunken gait (or ataxia); delirium (with hallucinations, amnesia, incoherence); delusions; dysuria (difficulty urinating); and death. [21]
Where can I find media related to Datura?
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Datura. Wikispecies has information related to Datura. "Datura Vault". Erowid. Rätsch, C. (2005) [1998]. The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press. ISBN 978-0-89281-978-2.

How do you identify a Datura flower?
Datura species are herbaceous sprawling annuals or short-lived perennials, characterized by large trumpet-shaped flowers. The fragrant flowers can be white, yellow, pink, or purple and produce a spiny capsule fruit with numerous seeds. The leaves are simple and alternately arranged, with lobed, wavy, or entire margins.
How do you identify sacred datura?
0:145:04The Deadly Datura Plant: Identification, Cautions, and Medicinal UsesYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThey look like spiky balls big spiky very large spiky balls and so you want to become very familiarMoreThey look like spiky balls big spiky very large spiky balls and so you want to become very familiar with this plant because it's common throughout much of the united.
What does Datura look like?
The large, erect, trumpet-shaped flowers range in color from pure white to pinkish purple, but some species have flowers that are bright golden yellow or red-purple, and some have double or triple blooms. The petals are fused to form a funnel with 5 or 10 lobes.
What is the difference between angel trumpet and Datura?
The plant, which is commonly called a devil's trumpet, resembles a brugmansia plant (angel's trumpet). The major difference in the two plants is that the datura (devil's trumpet) has large trumpet shaped blossoms that stand up straight, instead of pointing downward in the manner of an angel's trumpet.
How much Datura is fatal?
As little as one-half teaspoon of Datura seed has caused death from cardiopulmonary arrest. An estimated lethal dose is > 10 mg atropine or > 2-4 scopolamine for an adult.
Are all Datura poisonous?
All species of Datura are very poisonous and potentially psychoactive, especially their seeds and flowers, which can cause respiratory depression, arrhythmias, fever, delirium, hallucinations, anticholinergic syndrome, psychosis, and even death if taken internally.
What part of Datura is poisonous?
Datura stramonium (DS), known as Jimson weed is a wild-growing herb. The entire plant especially the foliage and seeds, is toxic due to its content of tropane alkaloids.
What happens if we eat Datura?
When taken by mouth: Datura wrightii is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth. It contains chemicals that can be toxic. Side effects can include dry mouth, enlarged pupils, blurred vision, trouble breathing, hallucinations, panic, and death.
Is Devil's Trumpet poisonous to touch?
Symptoms of devil's trumpet poisoning include hot and flushed skin, pupil dilation, headache, delirium, rapid and weak pulse, convulsions, and coma. This plant grows wild and is also cultivated in gardens; there are no cautions for handling it but it should never be eaten.
What plants look like Datura?
Datura and moonflower vine get confused very often because of the common name, and they look very similar to one another. Both produce flowers that are trumpet shaped, but Datura grows lower to the ground while moonflower grows as a climbing vine.
Is Moonflower the same as Datura?
Datura metel belongs to the genus of Datura that consists of several herbaceous flowering plants. Datura metel is commonly referred to as Angel's Trumpets and Moonflowers. It has become naturalized in temperate and tropical regions around the world.
Are all angel trumpets poisonous?
All parts of angel's trumpets are considered poisonous and contain the alkaloids atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine. Ingestion of the plants can cause disturbing hallucinations, paralysis, tachycardia, and memory loss and can be fatal.
How do you get rid of sacred datura?
Spray established plants with a broad-spectrum herbicide. This will kill the plant. Any seeds it has distributed will have to be destroyed using the shovel method as the plant emerges. Take care when spraying herbicide that you only spray the Datura inoxia and not desirable plants.
How did Native Americans use Datura?
Human Uses Native Americans in southern California also used sacred datura for medicinal and ceremonial purposes. It was the most important medicinal plant of the Chumash. The Luiseño used the smoke to relieve the pain of rheumatism and earaches.
How do shamans use Datura?
Powdered Datura root is used by rain priests to ensure fruitful rains, an especially necessary action in the arid Southwest. Further south among tribes in Northern Mexico and parts of Texas, Datura was used by shamans to transcend the borders of life and death and communicate with spirits.
What is sacred datura used for?
Datura wrightii, commonly known as sacred datura, is a poisonous perennial plant species and ornamental flower of the family Solanaceae native to the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is sometimes used as a hallucinogen due to its psychoactive alkaloids.
How tall does D. metel grow?
D. metel has a mounded habit and can grow 2-3 feet tall and at least as wide, if not up to twice as wide under ideal conditions and a long growing season. D. stramonium generally gets 3-4 feet tall and wide but often flops under its own weight.
How tall is D. inoxia?
D. inoxia has a more upright habit with a regular branching pattern and can get up to 5 feet tall. The gray-green to dark green alternate leaves up to 10 inches long and 4 inches wide have a lobed or toothed margin. Their surfaces are either smooth ( D. metel in most cases and D. stramonium) or downy ( D. inoxia ).
What is a Datura plant?
Datura plants are shrubby and spreading (L) with leaves that vary in color from medium green to gray-green and with entire to lobed or toothed margins (C and R).
What are the flowers of Brugmansia?
The flowers of most Brugmansia are pendant trumpets. Even one of its common names, angels’s trumpet, is confusing as that is also used for the closely related genus Brugmansia, a South American group differs that from the genus Datura by having woody stems, pendant flowers and seed pods that need to be broken open.
What is a rounded capsule?
Fruits are rounded capsules (L and LC) that split open when ripe (C) to release the numerous seeds (RC and R). The large, coarse foliage of datura contrasts well with many other plants with fine or medium texture.
What is a Datura?
Datura is a variable group of plants.
What is the color of a cigar shaped flower?
Flowers range in color from pure white to pinkish purple (RC).
How to keep datura alive?
When the temperature drops, you can try to wrap your datura up in hay and bubble plastic or burlap. This will help you gain a few degree’s worth of survival. If it gets any colder than 40°F (5°C), however, your best chance is to prune your datura short (under a foot or 30 cm) and dig it out to a pail or temporary pot.
What causes a datura plant to rot?
A few other fungus are responsible for root rot in this plant, such as Pythium (see a case where Pythium results in diseased Sunpatiens ), Thielaviopsis and Phytoptora. Viral diseases (sometimes spread by insects) may also contaminate Datura : mosaic viruses and others may result in leaves folding up and wilting.
What insects attack nightshade plants?
Other insects that typically attack plants of the nightshade family: the tomato hornworm and Sphinx moth caterpillars. You can control these caterpillars naturally.
How to keep cuttings moist?
Make sure the air stays moist around your cuttings. Either wrap a clear sac around the nursery pots to lock the moisture in (like a greenhouse) or increase ambient air moisture.
Why are my leaves folding up?
mosaic viruses and others may result in leaves folding up and wilting.
What is the name of the Devil's trumpet?
Datura, also called “ devil’s trumpet ” for its magnificent inflorescence, is a very interesting and ornamental shrub.
When to bring datura out?
When Spring is there, wait for any risk of frost to have subsided. Then only can you bring your datura out.
What is the best known datura?
Of the nine datura species, the best known are Datura innoxia for its well-documented use in pre-Colombian America, Datura metel for its use in traditional Chinese medicine, and Datura stramonium for its long history of use in sacred rituals. Other names for the Datura plants are Jimsonweed, Moonflower, Devil’s Weed, and Devil’s Trumpet.
How long does it take for datura to work?
The first effects of datura are generally felt within 30 minutes to an hour after taking it, though it could take up to four hours to fully manifest. [2] . The plant’s peak effects can last for several days, but 12-24 hours is common. [3] .
How to treat scopolamine overdose?
Treating an atropine or scopolamine overdose usually involves swallowing activated charcoal to delay the absorption of the alkaloids, as well as injecting physostigmine intravenously. Physostigmine is effectively an antidote to Datura, crossing the blood-brain barrier and agonizing the affected muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. Unfortunately, its activity is relatively short-lived and not suitable for people with heart problems. [18][22]
What does it mean to see a cigarette in your hand?
Hallucinations affecting the senses of touch, taste, and smell are common. “Phantom cigarettes,” in particular, are a hallmark of the Datura experience—even non-smokers have reported the phenomenon of seeing and feeling an imaginary lit cigarette in their hand, sometimes having rolled it themselves.
How long does Datura last?
On top of that, the effects of Datura can last for two days, and the experience can be overwhelming and uncomfortable. With that in mind, there are some things you can anticipate with a Datura trip, which can help you prepare for what may come.
Which species of alkaloids have the highest scopolamine content?
Potency and appearance can vary between the species, but the effects are largely the same. Datura metel has the highest scopolamine content, and usually the highest percentage of alkaloids overall, but the difference isn’t hugely significant.
How hot should a sitter be?
A good sitter should check that your heart rate remains between 50-180 beats per minute and that your temperature is within safe limits (below 103 degrees Fahrenheit). [4] If not, they should be ready to drive you to the hospital and explain what you took (an anticholinergic drug) to make sure you’re not given anesthetics, aspirins, or any other treatments with potentially fatal interactions. [20] Needless to say, driving yourself anywhere while on Datura is extremely dangerous. [8]
What is the difference between a Datura and a Brugmansia?
A group of South American species formerly placed in the genus Datura are now placed in the distinct genus Brugmansia ( Brugmansia differs from Datura in that it is woody (the species being shrubs or small trees) and has indehiscent fruits.
How many species of Datura are there?
Datura specialists, the Preissels, accept only 9 species of Datura, but Kew's Plants of the World Online currently lists the following 14 (out of which the current edition of The Plant List does not list D. arenicola, D. lanosa, and D. pruinosa as accepted spp.):
What are some examples of Datura species?
inoxia, are very similar in appearance, and the variation within a species can be extreme. For example, Datura species can change size of plant, leaf, and flowers, all depending on location.
How long does it take for a Datura to disappear?
Later, these "new species" are found to be simply varieties that have evolved due to conditions at a specific location. They usually disappear in a few years.
How big do Datura plants get?
Datura species are herbaceous, leafy annuals and short-lived perennials, which can reach up to 2 m in height. The leaves are alternate, 10–20 cm long, and 5–18 cm broad, with a lobed or toothed margin.
Why is Datura used in potions?
Bernardino de Sahagún, in around 1569, called attention to Datura in these words: "It is administered in potions in order to cause harm to those who are objects of hatred. Those who eat it have visions of fearful things. Magicians or those who wish to harm someone administer it in food or drink. This herb is medicinal and its seed is used as a remedy for gout, ground up and applied to the part affected."
Where does the name Datura come from?
Etymology. The generic name Datura is taken from Sanskrit धतूरा dhatūra "thorn-apple", ultimately from Sanskrit धत्तूर dhattūra "white thorn-apple" (referring to Datura metel of Asia). In the Ayurvedic text Sushruta Samhita, different species of Datura are also referred to as kanaka and unmatta. Dhatura is offered to Shiva in Hinduism.
What Are Some of the Effects of Datura?
Datura has a variety of physical effects on the human body. Here are a few, but there are many more.
What is the difference between atropine and scopolamine?
Side effects may include but are not limited to headaches, nausea, difficulty in urination, and fever. Scopolamine , in the form of a prescription patch, is used to help with motion sickness. The side effects of scopolamine are similar ...
How many seeds of Datura are fatal?
As little as 15 grams of Datura, which is between 15 and 25 seeds, can be a fatal dose. The side effects on the body can last long after the “high” wears off. Three chemicals, hyoscyamine, atropine, and scopolamine, ...
How to learn more about Datura?
If you would like to learn more about Datura, contact us at MHS for an appointment. We can help if you or someone you love is struggling with an addiction to Datura or a related derivative. People who use Datura may also be using other harmful substances, so overcoming a Datura addiction should be done under appropriate medical supervision. At MHS, we work with individuals and groups from adolescence to adulthood in both educational and treatment programs.
What is scopolamine used for?
Scopolamine, in the form of a prescription patch, is used to help with motion sickness. The side effects of scopolamine are similar to atropine and hyoscyamine. They include drowsiness, blurred vision, and confusion. When these three chemicals are used separately under the supervision of a medical professional, side effects are controlled, ...
What are the chemicals in Datura?
Three chemicals, hyoscyamine, atropine, and scopolamine, give Datura its intoxicating and medicinal properties. Hyoscyamine is a treatment for ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and pancreatitis, as well as other stomach troubles.
Can activated charcoal be used for heart problems?
Treating overdose usually involves using activated charcoal to prevent absorption of the drugs and intravenous physostigmine to cross the blood-brain barrier and calm aggravated receptors. However, this antidote cannot be administered to those with heart problems and may only work temporarily, which is another reason that Datura overdose is so dangerous.
