Datura stinkweed (Datura stramonium L.)

Datura stinkweed is an annual herbaceous plant from the Solanaceae family. Other names: dope ordinary

Description:

Tall (up to 1 m) annual herbaceous plant. The stem is rounded, glabrous, forked-branched in the upper half; the branches on the inside are softly hairy. The leaves are alternate, ovate, pointed at the apex, tapering to the base into a long petiole, coarsely notched at the edges, the main and lateral veins of the first order are whitish, strongly protruding from the underside (in contrast to the henbane leaves). Flowers with a strong stupefying smell, large, white, on short pedicels, located one at a time in the axils of the leaves and the forks of the stem; the calyx is long-tubular, when it falls off it is separated from its base by an annular crack, the base remains with the fruits, the corolla is twice as long as the calyx, with a very long tube and a short limb with 5 pointed lobes, stamens 5. The fruit is an erect, ovoid box, seated from the plane with thick, hard spikes, opening with 4 doors. Seeds are large, dull black, flattened. Datura blooms from July to autumn. Datura common grows in damp places, within housing, fences, in yards and gardens as a weed, is often found in the southern part of Belarus.

Workpiece:

For medicinal purposes, dope leaves are used – Folium Stramonii. Collect them in dry, clear weather, as wet leaves quickly darken. Dry quickly, spreading a thin layer in the open air, but in the shade or in dryers.

Contains active substances:

All parts of Datura stink contain poisonous tropane alkaloids, which are provided in the leaves at least 0.25%. Usually there are more of them (up to 0.37%). The main alkaloids are hyoscyamine, atropine and scopolamine. In addition to alkaloids, the leaves contain a small amount of tannins (1.7%) and traces of dark brown essential oil (0.04%), which has a strong smell of tobacco and contains 0.1% carotene.

Medicinal use:

In medical practice, Datura leaves are part of the anti-asthma collection astamol, used for smoking in bronchial asthma. The active ingredients are hyoscyamine and other alkaloids that have an antispasmodic effect. In folk medicine, Datura seeds are given to children “out of fear” (how many years – so many seeds); seeds infused with vodka are drunk with paralysis; a decoction of Datura flowers is drunk for epilepsy, angina pectoris, the leaves are smoked for asthma. Datura seed tincture on vodka is used as a rub for rheumatism, sciatica.