Datura Drug Definition
Datura is a plant that includes nine subspecies of poisonous plants, all belonging to the nightshade family.
Native American and Indigenous peoples historically used the Datura plant in ritualistic ceremonies. These tribal groups have historically consumed it in various forms to induce hallucinogenic effects.
Ingesting the plant created delirious yet alert states of consciousness for religious practices, enabling a feeling of communication with gods and ancestors.
Continue reading to learn more about Datura’s uses, side effects, and more.
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Datura Drug Definition
Datura is classified as a deliriant – meaning it creates strong hallucinogenic effects and delirium, leading to symptoms like confusion, agitation, and mood changes. The drug can induce realistic visual hallucinations and unusual behaviors. These behaviors can be aggressive and emotional, rendering the user incapable of rational thoughts and making them believe they are seeing or talking to imaginary objects or people.
The plant is primarily associated with negative consequences due to its high toxicity. Datura can be lethal and, even in small doses, can cause extremely uncomfortable cognitive and physical effects.
What Is Datura Made Of?
To understand what Datura is made of, we must understand the many varieties of the Datura plant. Which include:
- Datura metel
- Datura stramonium
- Datura wrightii
- Datura innoxia
- Datura ceratocaula
- Datura stramonium var. Tatula
- Datura metel var. Fastuosa
This list is not exhaustive
Datura strimonium and Datura inoxia are the most well-known subspecies of Datura in the United States.
All parts of the Datura plant are toxic, but the flower and seed are the most poisonous, as they contain more tropane alkaloids, atropine, Hyoscyamine, and Scopolamine.
Other Names For Datura
Datura has a wide range of nicknames that you may recognize, including:
- Thornapple
- Jimson weed
- Devil’s trumpet flower
- Moonflower
- Hell’s bells
- Stinkweek
- Locoweed
- Dtchweek
- Devel’s snare
- Jamestown weed
Is Datura Poisonous?
Yes, Datura is very poisonous due to several alkaloids: Tropane Alkaloids, Atropine, Hyoscyamine, and Scopolamine.
The plant can contain anywhere between 0.2 – 0.45% of those toxins.
How Does Datura Poisoning Work?
Atropine and scopolamine, found in the plant Datura, inhibit the parasympathetic nervous system by blocking the binding of acetylcholine to specific receptors in our neurons.
The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for what’s commonly known as the “Rest and Digest” system. This system manages the movement of the GI tract, urinary tract, lungs and sweat glands, heart rate, and more.
“Rest and Digest” responses are vital to survival, so a toxin like Datura blocking these receptors can be fatal.
What Do People Use Datura For?
Initially, Native Americans and specific indigenous cultures used Datura as a Hallucinogen to induce visions in religious practices and ceremonies.
However, there are potentially positive medicinal uses for the plant. Eastern medicine, specifically Ayurvedic medicine, uses Datura for the following ailments:
- Ulcers (sores in the stomach)
- Wounds and inflammation (swelling and pain)
- Conditions like rheumatism (joint pain)
- Gout (painful swelling in joints)
- Sciatica (nerve pain that runs down the leg)
- Bruises and swellings
- Fever
- Breathing problems like asthma and bronchitis
- Toothache
However, these “breakthrough” medicinal uses pose significant safety risks. The way Datura is purified and ingested, its location of use, and the concentration of alkaloid toxins all affect its impact on the parasympathetic nervous system and can be far more harmful than beneficial.
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Side Effects Of Datura Drug
The following drug compounds within Datura have various side effects. However, when prescribed by a doctor in minimal doses, they can be safe and effective medications for numerous ailments.
Atropine
Atropine, one of the drug compounds found in Datura, can be given intravenously (IV), orally, or through the eye. The drug has been used medicinally to reduce secretion and treat various conditions, such as excessive mucus and saliva, gut spasms, and disorders like IBS and Parkinson’s disease.
Atropine Negative Side Effects
Atropine can cause headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, dilated pupils, nasal congestion, nausea, constipation, bloating, heartburn, altered taste, and difficulty urinating. In individuals with pre-existing heart conditions, it may worsen cardiovascular function, leading to irregular or rapid heartbeats. Always consult your doctor before taking Atropine.
Hyoscyamine
Similar to Atropine, Hyoccyamin can treat gastrointestinal disorders and spasms. It helps to reduce GI and stomach motion and stomach acid production. The drug aims to control peptic ulcers, colic, diverticulitis, IBS, pancreatitis, some heart conditions, and the overproduction of mucus and saliva.
Hyoscyamine Negative Side Effects
The downsides to Hyoscyamine are drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, blurred vision, dry mouth, constipation, light sensitivity, difficulty urinating, and flushed skin. Serious side effects may include skin rashes, eye pain, rapid or irregular heartbeat (similar to atropine’s effects), and diarrhea.
Scopolamine
Scopolamine targets the effect of seasickness or motion sickness and other symptoms like nausea and vomiting. Patients primarily use Scopolamine via a skin patch that can stay on for three days.
Scopolamine Negative Side Effects
Scopolamine mirrors Atropine and Hyocyanin side effects. The effects include drowsiness, disorientation, blurry vision, confusion, dry mouth, rash, trouble urinating, and hallucinations. In more severe cases, the drug can cause rapid pulse, eye pain, and dizziness.
Each of these prescription drugs can be safe when taken under a doctor’s guidance. However, combining them or consuming them in excess can have harmful effects on one’s health. Unprocessed Datura contains all three toxins and has caused serious side effects, including death, to those who have knowingly or unknowingly ingested it.
Datura Antidote
There is no guaranteed antidote for Datura toxicity. However, poison intervention focuses on decontamination and supportive care. These treatments may include:
- Activated charcoal to assist in the absorption of the drug
- Benzodiazepines to manage agitation or seizures
- Beta-blockers to address cardiovascular complications.
Physostigmine is sometimes considered an antidote for atropine and scopolamine (both found in Datura), as it can counteract their effects by inhibiting neurotransmitters, thereby increasing acetylcholine levels.
In all cases, prompt medical attention is essential in the event of Datura poisoning. If you suspect poison exposure in yourself or your loved one, call 911 immediately.
What Does Datura Feel Like?
Datura is a dangerous plant that produces chemicals that could lead to harmful physical effects. Some of Datura’s physical effects include:
- Feeling weighed down
- Flushed skin
- Muscle cramps and spasms and joint pain
- Too little or too much urine
- Constipation
- Dilated Puplil (blurred vision)
- Dry mouth and eyes
- Inability to sweat
- Changes to heart rate, irregular or rapid beating
- Dehydration
- High blood pressure
- High body temperature
- Increased perspiration
- Loss of motor control
- Sedation
Cognitive Effects Of Datura Intoxication
While Datura affects the physical body, it also has a dramatic effect on the mind and psychosis both during and after use. Datura psychosis effects may include:
- Delirium
- Confusion
- Hallucinations
- Hypoactivity or Hyperactivity
- Suppressed motivation
- Amnesia
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Depersonalization and derealization
- Emotional suppression
- Paranoia
- Informational processing suppression
- Trouble speaking
- Time distortion
One local colloquialism commonly associated with Datura poisoning is “Blind as a bat, mad as a hatter, red as a beet, hot as a hare, dry as a bone, the bowel and bladder lose their tone, and the heart runs alone”. The phrase aligns with the abovementioned symptoms: blurred vision, delirium, high body temperature, dry mouth and eyes, stomach issues, and racing heart.
Dangers And Risks Of Datura Drug
Many of the risks associated with Datura overdose stem from improper ingestion of the plant. You may be wondering: can you die from Datura?
As mentioned, all parts of the Datura plant are poisonous, but Datura seeds and flowers are the most toxic. For medicinal purposes, the seeds munt undergo a purifying process to lower the toxicity levels to the human body and to increase their therapeutic value. When datura seeds are consumed raw, they can be fatally toxic and lead to death.
A typical fatal dose includes 50 to 100 Datura seeds or 10 to 100 mg of atropine, with 50 to 60 mg being the most common amount found.
The symptoms of an overdose usually appear within 30 to 60 minutes and can last for 24 to 48 hours due to the alkaloids’ impact on the gastrointestinal system.
An overdose or use of impurified Datura can lead to harmful effects. If you suspect Datura poisoning has occurred, seek emergency medical assistance immediately.
- Hallucination
- Fever
- Vertigo
- Restlessness
- Dry mouth
- Heart palpitation
- Muscle stiffness
- Urticaria (itchy welts) and other typical allergic reactions
- Increased heart rate
- Increase in Intraocular (eye) pressure
Datura can be especially deadly in situations of repeated use. In critical overdoses of Datura, loss of consciousness, coma, and even death have occurred.
Addiction Risk
When people abuse Datura, the intention is generally to achieve an altered mental state, mainly hallucinations. Intentional Datura use for the purpose of hallucinogenic and stimulating effects may be an indicator of hallucinogen dependence syndrome.
This syndrome is a form of Substance Use Disorder in which the person’s habitual use of the drug negatively impacts their relationships, work, and physical and mental well-being.
Some of the other risks of Datura drug abuse may include increased tolerance – prompting the user to increase their dosage and thereby increasing their risk of overdose. Some studies on Datura addiction also noted unusual changes in cognitive impairment, loss of vision, and mood disorders.
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Datura is a plant often abused for its hallucinogenic effects, but it carries significant health risks, including cognitive impairment, mood disorders, and, in some cases, loss of vision. Regular use can lead to tolerance, prompting higher dosing and a higher likelihood of overdose, which can result in long-term damage or death.
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Sources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6996654/#:~:text=The%20usual%20fatal%20dose%20comprises%2050%E2%80%93100%20Datura%20seeds%20or,than%20500%20mg%20of%20atropine.&text=Signs%20and%20symptoms%20usually%20occur,motility%20induced%20by%20the%20alkaloids.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6767831/
