Datura innoxia Downy thorn apple (Solanaceae)

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Datura innoxia
Downy thorn apple
(1 Page of 5)

The Datura innoxia plant species is found in Southwestern N. America. It is a member of the Solanaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Downy thorn apple. Some home gardeners know the variety as D. meteloides. DC.

Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
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Latin Name:  Datura innoxia
Common Name:  Downy thorn apple
Family:  Solanaceae
Author:  Mill.

Known Hazards:  All members of this genus contain narcotics and are very poisonous, even in small doses[200].

Mature Height:  1   Mature Width:

Habitat:  Sandy or gravelly dry open places below 1200 metres in California[71].

Medicinal Information: All parts of the plant are anodyne, antispasmodic, hallucinogenic, hypnotic and narcotic[192, 240]. It has been used in the past as a pain killer and also in the treatment of insanity, fevers with catarrh, diarrhoea and skin diseases[240]. The plant contains several alkaloids, the most active of which is scopolamine[240]. This is a potent cholinergic-blocking halucinogen, which has been used to calm schizoid patients[213]. The leaves contain 0.52% scopolamine, the calices 1.08%, the stems 0.3%, the roots 0.39%, the fruits 0.77%, the capsules 0.33%, the seeds 0.44% and the whole plant 0.52 - 0.62%[240]. Any use of this plant should be with extreme caution and under the supervision of a qualified practitioner since the toxic dose is very close to the medicinal dose.

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Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

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