thorn-apple !!
COMMON NAME: thorn-apple, downy thorn-apple, Indian-apple, lovache, moonflower, sacred datura, nacazcul, toloatzin, tolguache or toloache
BOTANICAL NAME : Datura inoxia Mill.
FAMILY : Solanaceae
DISTRIBUTION: It is native to Central and South America, and introduced in Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe.
BOTANICALLY :
**Datura inoxia is an annual shrubby plant that typically reaches a height of 0.6 to 1.5 metres.
**Its stems and leaves are covered with short and soft grayish hairs, giving the whole plant a grayish appearance.
**It has elliptic entire-edged leaves with pinnate venation.
**All parts of the plant emit a foul odor similar to rancid peanut butter when crushed or bruised, although most people find the fragrance of the flowers to be quite pleasant when they bloom at night.
**The flowers are white, trumpet-shaped, 12–19 cm (4.75-7.5 in) long.They first grow upright, and later incline downward. It flowers from early summer until late fall.
**The fruit is an egg-shaped spiny capsule, about 5 cm in diameter. It splits open when ripe, dispersing the seeds.
**Another means of dispersal is by the fruit spines getting caught in the fur of animals, who then carry the fruit far from the mother plant. The seeds have hibernation capabilities, and can last for years in the soil. The seeds, as well as the entirety of this plant, act as deliriants, but have a high probability of overdose.
TOXITY: All parts of Datura plants contain dangerous levels of poison and may be fatal if ingested by humans and other animals, including livestock and pets. In some places it is prohibited to buy, sell or cultivate Datura plants.
CULTIVATION & USES: When cultivated, the plant is usually grown from seed, but its perennial rhizomes can be kept from freezing and planted in the spring of the following year.
Datura inoxia, like other Datura species, contains the highly toxic alkaloids atropine, hyoscine (scopolamine), and hyoscyamine. The Aztecs called the plant toloatzin, and used it long before the Spanish conquest of Mexico for many therapeutic purposes, such as poultices for wounds where it acts as an anodyne.[citation needed] Although the Aztecs warned against madness and "various and vain imaginings", many native Americans have used the plant as an entheogen for hallucinations and rites of passage. The alkaloids of these plants are very similar to those of mandrake, deadly nightshade, and henbane, which are also highly poisonous plants used cautiously for effective pain relief in antiquity.
Datura intoxication typically produces a complete inability to differentiate reality from fantasy (delirium, as contrasted to hallucination); hyperthermia; tachycardia; bizarre, and possibly violent behavior; and severe mydriasis with resultant painful photophobia that can last several days. Pronounced amnesia is another commonly reported effect. There can easily be a 5:1 variation in toxins from plant to plant, and a given plant's toxicity depends on its age, where it is growing, and local weather conditions. These wide variations make Datura exceptionally hazardous to use as a drug. In traditional cultures, users needed to have a great deal of experience and detailed plant knowledge so that no harm resulted from using it. Such knowledge is not widely available in modern cultures, so many unfortunate incidents result from ingesting Datura. In the 1990s and 2000s, the United States media contained stories of adolescents and young adults dying or becoming seriously ill from intentionally ingesting Datura.
It has also been planted throughout the world as an ornamental plant for its attractive large leaves, large white flowers, and distinctive thorny fruit. However, the plant is now considered an invasive species in several locations. For example, because of the similarity of its life cycle to that of cotton, it is a pest in cotton fields. It is also a potential seed contaminant.
TRADITIONAL USES:
Datura innoxia, or toloache, is the most ethnopharmacologically important of all thorn apple species in the Americas. Excavations dating to 1200 C.E. have shown that the prehistoric Pueblo Indians of the Southwest used the seeds in rituals (Litzinger 1981). The plant has also clearly been used in Mexico since the prehistoric period. It has been suggested that Aztec sacrificial victims were given Datura preparations in order to prepare them for death. At present, toloache is still used in Mexico for medicinal, ritual and aphrodisiac purposes (Ratsch 1998, 196).
In the Yucatan, D. innoxia is regularly cultivated as an ornamental and an entheogen. Shamans smoke cigars rolled from D. innoxia leaves or eat the seeds in order to do divinations with quartz crystals. Tarot cards are also sometimes used. The datura is said to allow the shaman to gain insight he would not have been able to discover otherwise. The flowers are used as offerings for the gods in ritual, as well (Ratsch 1998, 197).
In modern Mexican witchcraft, or brujeria, toloache has a connection to dark practices and a reputation for causing insanity and death. It is said to give the user dark power. The Huichol regard D. innoxia as a ‘bad plant of the gods’ and associate it with sorcery (Ratsch 1998, 198).
D. innoxia is sacred to the Navajo, who use it in healing ceremonies. During one ceremony known as the Beautyway, D. innoxia preparations are consumed to produce visions. The plant is also used as a medicine to treat hallucinations. The Navajo take small amounts of D. innoxia to protect themselves from the attacks of dark sorcerers, and utilize the plant in divination and love magic. The Navajo Ajilee ceremony is one in which the practitioner is transformed into the Datura spirit and is able to gain power over women he desires and game he wishes to hunt. The ritual is also used to heal individuals who are suffering from sexual excess, and women who have been forced into prostitution (Brugge 1982). The Apache use powdered D. innoxia root in secret ceremonies as a plant medicine. Hopi medicine men chew the roots to induce visions that allow them to diagnose diseases (Ratsch 1998, 199).
D. innoxia was introduced to Pakistan from the Americas and now grows wild there. A few crushed seeds or a dried leaf mixed with tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is used as an aphrodisiac and inebriant (Goodman & Gharfoor 1992 cited in Ratsch 1998, 199). In India, D. innoxia is used in the same way as D. metel.
TRADITIONAL PREPARATION: The dried leaves and flowers of D. innoxia may be smoked alone or with other herbs in a smoking blend. Yucatec Maya shamans combine the leaves with tobacco to make cigars that they call chamal. One leaf of each plant is used to make one chamal. The shaman smokes until he reaches the state of consciousness he desires. The amount needed varies considerably from person to person. The seeds and leaves of D. innoxia may be crushed and fermented to make an alcoholic beverage. The roots are sometimes added to pulque, beer, or chicha (Rasch 1998, 197).
The Yaqui tribe add crushed seeds and leaves of D. innoxia to lard and rub this ointment on to the abdomen in order to induce visions. Fresh roots may be crushed and applied externally, chewed, or dried and powdered. However, dosage information regarding the roots is not available (Ratsch 1998, 197).
Four leaves is an appropriate dose for smoking if one wants to receive the aphrodisiac effects of the plant. Working with the plant in this way prevents overdose, as well. Tea made from the leaves should be consumed carefully – just one small leaf can cause very intense hallucinations. Alkaloid concentration will vary widely from plant to plant, and individuals can react very differently to tropane alkaloids, so detailed dose information is difficult to provide. 30-40 seeds is considered a strong visionary dosage, but as few as 10 seeds can result in significant perceptual changes. In Pakistan, 150 grams of leaves, fruits, or flowers is considered to be a lethal dose, but even significantly less than this can cause death in some individuals (Goodman & Ghafoor 1992 cited in Ratsch 1998, 197).
MEDICINAL USES: In Mexico, toloache is used as a remedy for many disorders and symptoms, particularly fevers. The Apache use the juice of the flowers and roots to disinfect wounds. Dew drops that have collected in the flowers are used as an eye wash (Ratsch 1998, 199).
The Aztecs used thorn apple leaves to treat broken bones and swollen joints. Leaves that had been warmed in a steam bath were placed directly on to the affected areas. Toloache is one of the most important aphrodisiacs and sedatives in Mexican folk medicine. It is given during childbirth to help with pain. In Israel, a decoction of the leaves is consumed to treat diarrhea, and a paste of the leaves is applied externally to treat pain (Dafni & Yaniz 1994). In many parts of the world, the leaves of D. innoxia have been smoked, alone or in blends, as a most effective treatment for asthma (Ratsch 1998, 200).
TRADITIONAL EFFECTS: The entire D. innoxia plant is rich in tropane alkaloids, particularly scopolamine and hyoscyamine. Some plants produce significantly more scopolamine than others. The effects of D. innoxia are dependent on dosage and method of preparation. The American Indians say that a mild dosage produces medicinal, healing effects, a moderate dosage produces aphrodisiac effects, and high doses produce shamanic visions (Ratsch 1998, 200).
Shamanic doses of D. innoxia cause profound visions and hallucination and delirium. Overdose may begin with excitation, an urge to dance and fits of laughter, and end in acute hallucinosis and death through respiratory paralysis. In Mexico, peyote is used as an antidote for toloache overdose (Nadler 1991 cited in Ratsch 1998, 201).
SOURCES :
>>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura_inoxia
>>http://entheology.com/plants/datura-innoxia-toloache/
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