Datura stramonium
| Datura stramonium | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 5' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Mid Fall |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Datura stramonium (common name: thorn apple)
Propagation: Sow the seed in individual pots in early spring in a greenhouse[1]. Put 3 or 4 seeds in each pot and thin if necessary to the best plant. The seed usually germinates in 3 - 6 weeks at 15°c. Plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Especially in areas with hot summers, it is worthwhile trying a sowing outdoors in situ in mid to late spring.
Cultivation: Succeeds in most moderately good soils but prefers a rich light sandy soil or a calcareous loam, and an open sunny position[2][3][1].
Plants often self-sow when well sited[2].
The thornapple is cultivated commercially as a medicinal plant[4]. It can become a weed in suitable conditions and is subject to statutory control in some countries[5].
This species is extremely susceptible to the various viruses that afflict the potato family (Solanaceae), it can act as a centre of infection so should not be grown near potatoes or tomatoes[1].
Grows well with pumpkins[6].
The whole plant gives off a nauseating stench[7].
Range: Original habitat is obscure, it is found in many areas of the world, occasionally in S. Britain[8].
Habitat: Dry waste ground and amongst rubble or the ruins of old buildings[9][10].
Medicinal: The thornapple is a bitter narcotic plant that relieves pain and encourages healing[5]. It has a long history of use as a herbal medicine, though it is very poisonous and should be used with extreme caution.
The leaves, flowering tops and seeds are anodyne, antiasthmatic, antispasmodic, hallucinogenic, hypnotic, mydriatic and narcotic[2][3][9][11][12][13][14][15][5][16]. The seeds are the most active medicinally[3]. The plant is used internally in the treatment of asthma and Parkinson's disease, excess causes giddiness, dry mouth, hallucinations and coma[5]. Externally, it is used as a poultice or wash in the treatment of fistulas, abscesses wounds and severe neuralgia[5][17]. The use of this plant is subject to legal restrictions in some countries[5]. It should be used with extreme caution and only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner since all parts of the plant are very poisonous and the difference between a medicinal dose and a toxic dose is very small[13][18][5].
The leaves should be harvested when the plant is in full flower, they are then dried for later use[3].
The leaves can be used as a very powerful mind-altering drug, they contain hyoscyamine and atropine[18]. There are also traces of scopolamine, a potent cholinergic-blocking hallucinogen, which has been used to calm schizoid patients[18]. Atropine dilates the pupils and is used in eye surgery[19].
The leaves have been smoked as an antispasmodic in the treatment for asthma, though this practice is extremely dangerous[18][19].
The seeds are used in Tibetan medicine, they are said to have a bitter and acrid taste with a cooling and very poisonous potency[20]. Analgesic, anthelmintic and anti-inflammatory, they are used in the treatment of stomach and intestinal pain due to worm infestation, toothache and fever from inflammations[20].
The juice of the fruit is applied to the scalp to treat dandruff[21].
Usage: The growing plant is said to protect neighbouring plants from insects[22][6].
The juice of the fruits is applied to the scalp to cure dandruff and falling hair[21].
Pollinators: Moths
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All members of this genus contain narcotics and are very poisonous, even in small doses[1].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Livingstone, B. Flora of Canada. National Museums of Canada, 1978.
- ↑ Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Tsarong, Tsewang. Tibetan Medicinal Plants. Tibetan Medical Publications, 1994.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Manandhar, N. Medicinal Plants of Nepal Himalaya. Department of Medicinal Plants, 1993.
- ↑ Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.