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    Datura Its Toxicity Can Really Kill PDF

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    Lovish Hungsraz
    Datura stramonium is an annual herbaceous plant known by many common names like jimson weed. It grows up to 1-1.5 meters tall and produces trumpet-shaped, cream to violet colored flowers. The fruit is an egg-shaped capsule guarded by spines that contains many seeds. The leaves and seeds are sometimes used as hallucinogens but can cause death from overdose due to their toxic tropane alkaloids like atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine. The plant prefers to grow in disturbed, open areas and its seeds disperse through bird droppings. All parts of the plant are toxic to humans and other animals.

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    Datura Its Toxicity Can Really Kill PDF

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    Lovish Hungsraz
    68 views2 pages
    Datura stramonium is an annual herbaceous plant known by many common names like jimson weed. It grows up to 1-1.5 meters tall and produces trumpet-shaped, cream to violet colored flowers. The fruit is an egg-shaped capsule guarded by spines that contains many seeds. The leaves and seeds are sometimes used as hallucinogens but can cause death from overdose due to their toxic tropane alkaloids like atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine. The plant prefers to grow in disturbed, open areas and its seeds disperse through bird droppings. All parts of the plant are toxic to humans and other animals.

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    Datura stramonium is an annual herbaceous plant known by many common names like jimson weed. It grows up to 1-1.5 meters tall and produces trumpet-shaped, cream to violet colored flowers. The fruit is an egg-shaped capsule guarded by spines that contains many seeds. The leaves and seeds are sometimes used as hallucinogens but can cause death from overdose due to their toxic tropane alkaloids like atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine. The plant prefers to grow in disturbed, open areas and its seeds disperse through bird droppings. All parts of the plant are toxic to humans and other animals.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    68 views2 pages

    Datura Its Toxicity Can Really Kill PDF

    Uploaded by

    Lovish Hungsraz
    Datura stramonium is an annual herbaceous plant known by many common names like jimson weed. It grows up to 1-1.5 meters tall and produces trumpet-shaped, cream to violet colored flowers. The fruit is an egg-shaped capsule guarded by spines that contains many seeds. The leaves and seeds are sometimes used as hallucinogens but can cause death from overdose due to their toxic tropane alkaloids like atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine. The plant prefers to grow in disturbed, open areas and its seeds disperse through bird droppings. All parts of the plant are toxic to humans and other animals.

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    Datura stramoniumis also known as jimson weed, devil's trumpet, devil's weed, thorn

    apple, tolguacha, Jamestown weed, stinkweed, locoweed, datura, pricklyburr, devil's cucumber,
    hell's bells, moonflower. It is one of the commonest weed of the family Solanceae. The plant is
    an annual herb occurring in the form of a bush measuring 1-1.5 m in height. The leaves are
    generally soft, undulate and often toothed. The flowers bear a characteristic fragrance and are
    trumpet shaped. The colour of flowers may range from creamish white to violet and are 2.5-3.5
    inches in length. The flowers have been observed to rarely open completely. The fruit is an egg-
    shaped capsule which resembles a walnut in its size and it guarded by spines. At maturity the
    capsule opens into four chambers and each chamber contains large number of seeds.
    The leaves as well as the seeds are sometimes used as hallucinogen. Death may also
    occur if overdose of the extract of leaves and seeds is taken. The plant has derived its name
    from a Greek word meaning mad. It is not clear till now where the plant got originated first. It
    was first scientifically described and named by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 although other herbalists
    like Nicholas Culpeper also described the plant earlier. It prefers to grow in wild and can been
    seen growing near the roadsides as well as near the heap of dung. The plant is generally found
    in the warmer and moderate regions of the world. In Europe it is found as a weed growing near
    the wastelands as well as garbage dumps. The seeds are basically eaten by birds which
    disperse them to different areas through their droppings. The seeds can remain dormant in the
    soil for many years and germinate when the soil is agitated by any agency. People fear from
    these plants because they carry certain toxins injurious to human health.
    All parts of the plant are loaded with toxins and are harmful for human health as well as
    for pets and other animals. These toxins carry the efficiency of killing an individual. In some

    Datura Page 1
    places the cultivation as well as marketing of these plants is strictly prohibited. The active
    chemical compounds present in the toxins are Tropane alkaloids atropine, hyoscyamine and
    scopolamine which are classified as deliriants, or anticholinergics. Overdose of these
    chemicals causes death. The toxicity of Datura causes inability to differentiate between reality
    and fantasy, hyperthermia; tachycardia; bizarre, and possibly violent behavior; and severe
    mydriasis with resultant painful photophobia that can last several days. Amnesia becomes more
    intense later on. Physostigmine is the only potent drug to overcome these conditions. In India
    the parts of the plants are used as offerings to the Lord Shiva as it is believed that He used to
    smoke Datura leaves. They are also supposed to be growing in Suffolk along with the Devil's
    Snare a entirely frictional plant in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

    Navodita Maurice
    Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Navodita_Maurice
    Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5939948

    Datura Page 2

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