The datura has long been known as the secret ingredient that was used in love potions and witches’ flying spells. Today, this whimsical-looking member of the nightshade family of plants holds the world’s fascination for its strong medicinal benefits, despite the numerous stories that talk about its potential lethality.
Datura is a plant growing in temperate and tropical climates. While it is a widely cultivated plant, it grows naturally in the foothills of the Himalayas. Growing datura is not too difficult as it requires almost no tending. Common names of datura include Datura stramonium, Datura metel, Stinkweed, Mad apple, Dhatura tatula, Black datura, Jimson weed, Apple thorn, Stramonium.
Datura has a woody stalk and leaves with lobed or toothed edges. The flowers can be either erect or spreading, or trumpet shaped and come in a variety of colors like white, yellow, pink, and pale purple. They are extremely fragrant and bloom only at night. The fruit, which is a spiny capsule, splits open upon ripening to release numerous seeds that disperse freely over fields, pastures, and wasteland locations. It is very important to be aware of what the datura fruit looks like; it is one of the most poisonous parts of the plant and ingesting this even accidentally, can cause severe poisoning.
Various Parts Of Datura And Their Medicinal Uses
There are many medicinal uses of datura, which explains why it is used so widely in Ayurvedic medicine. The fruit and the seeds are said to be the most poisonous parts of the plant, therefore, are never ingested directly. Instead, they are either burnt or crushed and then used for various treatments.
The datura leaf is widely used to cure asthma, joint pains, itchy scalp, and anxiety.
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1. Cures Respiratory Issues
Inhaling the smoke of burnt datura the leaves of datura is known to have antispasmodic effects on the body. This is very effective in reducing symptoms of asthma, as it can calm the respiratory tracts and soothe bronchial tubes, thus preventing them from closing up and helping to curb coughing.
Datura leaves can have antispasmodic effects on the rest of the body too, such as relaxing muscles, and alleviating toothaches.
How To Use
- Take 4 to 5 leaves of datura leaves and burn them.
- Inhale the smoke for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Repeat this twice a day for 3 to 4 days.
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2. Cures Dandruff
Datura has an antifungal property that treats scalp infections and fungi and reduces itching.
How To Use
- Take a few leaves of datura and grind them.
- Strain the leaves and collect the juice in a small bowl or a glass.
- Take about 2 to 3 spoonfuls of this juice and apply this directly onto your scalp. Rinse off after a couple of hours.
- Repeat at least thrice a week.
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3. Can Help Reduce Joint Pains
Datura can help relieve the pain caused by joint swelling and inflammation in those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.
How To Use
- Boil 3 to 4 leaves of datura.
- Wrap the warm leaves around the areas of pain or swelling.
- Repeat twice a day.
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4. Can Cure Earaches
The analgesic property of the datura plant can help reduce earaches.
How To Use
- Boil 3 to 4 leaves of Datura in a cup of for about 10 minutes.
- Strain the solution and let it cool down.
- Store in a bottle and put about 2 drops of this solution into your ears twice a day.
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5. Cures Malaria
The datura has proven to be an effective cure for the treatment of malaria.1Although some sources say that one can ingest datura fruit provided it has been burnt to cure malaria, there are no credible sources to back this statement. Using the leaves to cure malaria seems a safer alternative since this doesn’t involve ingesting datura. Either way, it is highly recommended that you consult a herbalist or a renowned ayurveda practitioner before you proceed to use datura to treat an ailment.
How To Use
- Mix about two and a half new leaves of datura with jaggery and consume two hours before the onset of tertian malarial fever.
- Alternately, it is suggested that one may consume the datura fruit directly but only after it has been burnt. However, there is no research to prove that the latter treatment is actually effective.
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6. Reduces Anxiety And Stress
Datura is widely known for its ability to reduce stress and improve dark moods by prompting the release of certain hormones into the body. However, for those who suffer from stress too frequently, the buildup of those hormones in the body can be quite dangerous. It is, therefore, advisable to inhale only small amounts of datura at a time to alleviate depression.
How To Use
- Collect about 4 or 5 leaves of datura and burn them.
- Inhale the smoke slowly through your nostrils in limited amounts.
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7. Cures Breast Pain
Datura has anti-galactagogue properties.2 For this reason, it is traditionally used to stall lactation and cure breast pain in case of miscarriage and abortion.
How To Use
- Immerse a few datura stramonium leaves in water.
- Heat gently over a flame for a few minutes.
- Use the warm leaves and wrap them around each breast. Repeat at least twice a day.
Datura seeds are beneficial in improving hair health, healing cracked feet, and sexual impotency.
Caution: As a whole, datura is a poisonous plant. However, research shows that the seeds of this plant are the most poisonous, since they contain the highest amount of alkaloids, especially when they are the most ripe, so ingesting these seeds is not recommended at all. We suggest practising extreme caution and visiting a certified herbalist for more information before you use the seeds.
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8. Improves Hair Health
Datura is known to stimulate hair growth and promote healthy maintenance of follicle beds so that they don’t hold back the production of new hair. An oil based salve can be made out of datura and can be applied to bald patches on the head to cure baldness. The highly potent salve should, however, not be consumed, as it is highly concentrated.
How To Use
- Take about 2 datura stramonium fruits and remove the seeds from them.
- Crush and grind these seeds, and then mix in heated coconut oil.
- Wait until this mixture is warm, and then apply it on your bald patches 2 to 3 times a week.
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9. Cures Epilepsy Attacks
There are many ayurvedic formulations that use datura seeds to cure epilepsy.
How To Use
- Crush a few datura seeds to make a powder.
- Mix in equal ratios with saffron and mishri or crystallized sugar lumps.
- This mixture can be instilled in the nose during an epileptic attack.
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10. Heals Cracked Feet
Cracks that develop in the heels of our feet can be very painful, especially when they start bleeding. Datura seeds can be used to heal the cracks and repair the skin.
How To Use
- Grind a few datura seeds and mix with a little water to make a paste.
- Apply this paste directly onto that parts of the foot that have cracked at least twice a day.
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11. Cures Sexual Impotency
Although it still isn’t too clear as to how this plant solves impotency, datura seeds are popularly used in traditional medicine as a boost for sexual energy, libido, and fertility. The seeds are believed to increase blood circulation to the genitals, which in turn, increases fertility and sperm health.
How To Use
- The traditional method involves immersing the seeds of one or two ripened datura fruits into water or cow’s milk.
The datura fruit can help induce deep sleep and cure insomnia.
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12. Induces Healthy Sleep
Datura fruit is known to have sedative properties because of the high content of sleep inducing hormones like melatonin and seratonin.3 By calming the nerves, stimulating healthy hormonal release, and by cutting down inflammation and pain, datura is most effective in delivering restful, deep sleep for people suffering from sleeping disorders like insomnia.
How To Use
- Burn the fruit of datura.
- Inhale the smoke slowly, in small, controlled amounts.
Practise Caution
Certain parts of datura have been proven to have hallucinogenic properties and can also be highly toxic. Owing to its long history of causing delirium, stress, nausea, fatigue,dizziness, and sometimes even permanent mental imbalances and death, it is not used very extensively. Therefore, it is advisable to practice extreme caution and to consult a certified ayurvedic practitioner or a trained herbalist before consuming any new natural remedy, especially one as potent as datura.
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