BACKGROUND Datura (family- Solanaceae), has a long history of being used as herbal medicine. These medicinal effects have been attributed to the phytochemicals present in the plant leaves and seeds, in particular alkaloids, flavonoids and phenolic compounds. The objective of this study was to investigate the methanolic leaf and seed extracts of Datura innoxia (DLP-I & DSP-I) and Datura metel (D...

Two case reports of Datura stramonium intoxications are presented. The first one was a self poisoning, with a moderate anticholinergic syndrome and a spontaneous improvement. The second one was a recreational use of Datura stramonium for its hallucinogenic properties. The anticholinergic syndrome was marked and the improvement required orotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, intraveinou...

Sir,?I promised in a former letter from here to tell you what Professor Dnnstan said about the daturas from the Federated Malay States. He has just written and says : " The Datura fastiiosa seeds were found to contain 0'39 per cent, of alkaloid, which was proved to consist almost entirely of hyoscine (scopolamine). The Datura alba, seeds only furnished 0*21 per cent, of alkaloid, which was foun...

Datura stramonium, which is also known as Thorn Apple or Jimson Weed, is an alkaloid containing plant that is entirely toxic. The active toxic constituents of the plant are atropine, scopolamine and hyoscyamine. It has been abused worldwide for hundreds of years because of its hallucinogenic properties. Previous reports have shown that herbal medication overdose and accidental food contaminatio...

Background: Datura stramonium is a poisonous and common flowering plant that is a member of the Solanacae family. Datura poisonings are a rare occurrence in the 21st century, making toxicological information on this plant sparse. Historical information on Datura provides useful information on the clinical symptoms and characteristics of poisonings. This review looks at the state of knowledge on...

Although substance abuse is fairly common among adolescents, poisoning from Datura stramonium (a broadleaf annual erect herb with spine-covered seed capsule) is uncommon in children and has not been reported in our locality. We present the case of two children admitted at the Children Emergency Room of a teaching hospital following ingestion of extract of Datura stramonium. They developed neuro...

We have generated transgenic rice plants expressing the Datura stramonium adc gene and investigated their response to drought stress. We monitored the steady-state mRNA levels of genes involved in polyamine biosynthesis (Datura adc, rice adc, and rice samdc) and polyamine levels. Wild-type plants responded to the onset of drought stress by increasing endogenous putrescine levels, but this was i...

Datura stramonium (DS) is a widespread annual plant, containing atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine, which can produce poisoning with a severe anticholinergic syndrome. Teenagers ingest the roots, seeds or the entire plant to obtain its hallucinogenic and euphoric effects. We presented the case of a 22 year old male who was admitted to the Emergency Room in a coma after consuming Datura stra...