Datura metel L. (= D. fastuosa L.)

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 160

Datura metel L. (= D. fastuosa L.)

Names.

Myanmar: padaing, pa-daing-byu, pa-daing-khata, pa-daing-ni. English: devil’s trumpet, Hindu datura, horn of plenty, thorn apple.

Range.

Native to the West Indies (Howard 1989), or to tropical Asia ( Liogier 1994). Cultivated in Myanmar.

Uses.

Leaf: Used as a sedative and, when smoked, considered a valuable remedy for asthma. Seed: Mixed in curry and sweets, then employed as a narcotic (too high a dose may kill, the person may take some days to recover their faculties even at lower doses).

Notes.

The medicinal uses of this species in East and Southeast Asian countries are listed in Perry (1980). Medicinal uses of the species in India are discussed in Jain and DeFilipps (1991). Indigenous medicinal uses of the species in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India) are described by Dagar and Singh (1999). Medicinal uses of this species in China are discussed by Duke and Ayensu (1985).

The active principle is an alkaloid, hyoscine, found in both seeds and leaves; in too large quantities, it can cause delirium, coma, and death ( Perry 1980). Chemical constituents, pharmacological action, and medicinal use of this species in Indian Ayurveda are discussed in detail by Kapoor (1990). A pharmacognostical profile including medicinal uses of this plant in Africa is given in Iwu (1993). The toxic properties, symptoms, treatment, and beneficial uses of this plant, parts of which are poisonous, are discussed by Nellis (1997). Worldwide medicinal usage, chemical composition, and toxicity of this species are discussed by Duke (1986).

References.

Nordal (1963), Perry (1980).