Datura ordinary

The name of the species was given by Carl Linnaeus in the work “Species Plantarum” (1753) and is derived from the words of other Greek. στρύχνος - nightshade and μανικός - crazy ^[2] . According to another version, the species epithet is lat. stramonium is formed from fr. stramoine is a stinky weed .

In Russian, the plant has many names, distributed to a greater and lesser extent in different regions of Russia: Smelling dope, divider tree, duropian, dope potion, dope grass, stray grass, prickly apples, badura, butyrus, gingerbread man .

Distributed in the southeast, in the Astrakhan, Volgograd regions, less often in Saratov and Samara. It is also found in black earth areas. It grows in deposits near housing, in littered places - along roads. Prefers damp places.

Annual herb up to 1.5 meters tall.

The root is stem, branched, powerful.

The stems are erect, forked, naked.

The leaves are alternate, petiolate , whole ovate, coarse-dentate ( bear large teeth along the edges ) with a pointed apex, dark green above, lighter underneath.

Flowers solitary, apical or axillary, large, white, odorous, emit a strong stupefying smell. White funnel-folded corolla and calyx , five-membered. It blooms in June and August.

The fruit is a four-nest box , opening with four wings, covered with spikes . During ripening, the capsule cracks. Seeds are numerous, kidney-shaped, dull black. The sizes of one achene are 3–3.5 mm by 2.5–3 mm and 1.5–2 mm. One thousand seeds weigh 5-8 grams. From 500 to 800 pieces ripen in one box, 25-45 thousand ripe on one plant.

Aztec use

In the work “ General History of the Affairs of New Spain ” (1547-1577), Bernardino de Sahagun , based on information from the Aztecs on the properties of plants, provided various information about the dope, in particular, that:

There is another herb called tlapatl. This is a shrub, it gives buds without thorns, like lemons; it has a green peel, broad leaves, white flowers, black and fetid seed. Suppresses the desire of those who accept it; she's stupefying and driving crazy forever. It harms the heart of people, unsettles the hearts of people, intoxicates people. The one who eats it no longer wants to eat right up to his death. But if you eat a little, then your heart will forever become disordered, it will become insane, it will forever take hold, and a rational person will never be. Also, you can’t smell it, because it harms the heart of people, leads to the refusal of people to eat, harms the heart of people, drives people crazy, makes people refuse to eat. I put tlapatl. I put tlapatl. I eat tlapatl. They talk about who has never had respect, who lives arrogantly, who lives in a hasty manner: “eats micheatl, tlapatl”, “puts in micitle, puts in tlapatl” ^[3] .

It is used in medicine. Medicinal raw materials are leaves, tops and seeds. Datura leaf ( lat. Folium Stramonii ) is prepared from the beginning of flowering to the onset of frost. Dried at a temperature of 45-50 ° C. Shelf life of raw materials 2 years ^[4] .

Datura leaves contain mainly alkaloid hyoscyamine (up to 0.5%), as well as scopolamine and atropine .

Datura leaf preparations have a calming effect on the central nervous system due to the scopolamine contained in them. They have an antispasmodic effect and contribute to a decrease in the secretory function of the glandular apparatus. Datura leaf is part of anti-asthma fees ^[4] .

All types of datura contain alkaloids such as scopolamine , hyoscyamine , atropine , which are mainly found in the seeds and flowers of the plant. Due to the presence of these substances, Datura has been used in some cultures for centuries as a poison and hallucinogen ^{[5] [6]} .

The whole plant is highly toxic , especially seeds , because of the alkaloids contained in it, related to tropans ^[7] . Datura alkaloids are combined into a group called stramonins , or daturins , they have an atropine - like effect, that is, they have an antispasmodic effect on smooth muscles , dilate the pupils, increase intraocular pressure, cause accommodation paralysis , suppress secretion of the glandular apparatus, and increase heart contractions. The effect of datura alkaloids on the central nervous system is different: hyoscyamine increases the excitability of the nervous system, and scopolamine lowers it.

Symptoms of Poisoning

Motor agitation , sharp expansion of the pupils, hyperemia of the skin of the face and neck, dry mouth, hoarseness, frequent pulse, headache, intense thirst. Subsequently, a coma develops, hallucinations, unrelated speech, a disgusting taste when drinking water.

Poisoning Assistance

Gastric lavage with weak solutions of oxidizing agents ( potassium permanganate ), administration of adsorbing agents followed by gastric lavage and symptomatic therapy aimed at restoring vital functions ^{[8] [9]} . In severe cases - the appointment of substances with anticholinesterase and cholinomimetic action ( eserin ^{[8] [10]} , proserin , pilocarpine ).

Synonyms

• Datura inermis juss. ex Jacq.
• Datura tatula L.
• Datura stramonium var. chalybea WDJKoch , nom. illeg.
• Datura stramonium var. tatula (L.) Torr.

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  Whisk

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  Fetus

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  Seeds

• Bernardino de Sahagun . General story of the affairs of New Spain. Books X-XI: The knowledge of asteks in medicine and botany / Ed. and per. S. A. Kuprienko. - Kiev: Vidavets Kuprіnko S. A, 2013 .-- 218 p. - (Mesoamerica. Sources. History. Man). - ISBN 978-617-7085-07-1 .
• Chikov P.S. Atlas of areas and resources of medicinal plants of the USSR . - M .: Cartography, 1983. - 340 p.
• Gubanov I.A. et al. 1161. Datura stramonium L. - Datura vulgaris, or smelly // Illustrated identifier of plants in Central Russia. In 3 t . - M .: T-in scientific. ed. KMK, Institute of Technology. ISS., 2004. - T. 3. Angiosperms (dicotyledonous: dicotyledonous). - S. 164. - ISBN 5-87317-163-7 .

• Liber Herbarum II: The incomplete reference-guide to Herbal medicine. Datura stramonium (English) (Retrieved October 16, 2012)
• Datura stramonium (Solanaceae) at The Culture Sheet - The Web's niche for plant cultivation and horticulture (link unavailable) (English) (Retrieved October 16, 2012)