Newer insights into the Psychoactive and Pharmacological Properties of Datura

Traditionally the plant is used to treat various diseases and there is a constant search for the medicinal value of plant. Datura stramonium has both the toxic effects and medicinal uses [1]. Since inception of life humans beings use plant for different purposes like food and medicine. Still today a large number of people use different plant for different disease treatments. Datura stramonium has most important medicinal use. From the ethnomedicinal point of view it has an important medicinal value throughout the world. The leaves and seeds are used in different treatment regime.


Introduction
Traditionally the plant is used to treat various diseases and there is a constant search for the medicinal value of plant. Datura stramonium has both the toxic effects and medicinal uses [1]. Since inception of life humans beings use plant for different purposes like food and medicine. Still today a large number of people use different plant for different disease treatments. Datura stramonium has most important medicinal use. From the ethnomedicinal point of view it has an important medicinal value throughout the world. The leaves and seeds are used in different treatment regime.
The leaves of Datura stramonium when mixed with mustard oil it helps in treating skin disorders. The extract of flower petals is used in ear pain. Seeds are used in fever, cough, and asthma and as purgatives. Seeds are also used intoxicants for its narcotic action [2]. In folklore medicine this plant were used because of its analgesic effects in the "Old world" [3]. Datura stramonium comprises of different types of photochemical including Tannins, Saponins, Alkaloids, Glycoside Flavonoids Steroids and Phenols [4]. The bioactive components present in branches and leaves extracts consists of high anti-microbial and anti-fungal activities [5].

Ethnomedicinal uses
The leaves of Datura stramonium when mixed with mustard oil it becomes useful in skin disorders. Extract of flower petals helps in reducing in ear pain and seeds are mainly used as purgative, in cough, asthma and fever. Seeds are smoked since they are narcotic action [11]. Leaf paste and extract is topically used for wounds, bleedings, injuries and pains. Seeds when used in small quantity are helpful in asthma and tonsil problems.
The extract of leaves is also used for treatment of baldness [12]. Leaves paste used externally for management of pains [13]. Datura stramonium plant commonly used as repellents and antiparasitics [14]. Fruit oil is useful in body pain [15]. Whole plant and leaf is antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory in action [16]. Green leaves are applied topically for the softening of the boils. Extract of the fruit is applied on scalp as antidandruff and for falling hairs. A drop is poured in the ear at night when in earache [17]. Paste of leaves is externally applied for skin diseases problems [18]. Dried seeds and leaves are anticholinergics and sedatives in action [19].
Seeds are capable in make somebody unconscious [20]. Conventionally it is used for cure of rheumatism and cure of the pain [21]. 75 gm rhizomes of ginger (Zingiber officinale), 100 gm of garlic (Allium sativum) and 85 gm of onions (Allium cepa) are macerated together to extract the juice. To the juice is added 86 gm atosh (root of an unidentified plant) and an equal amount of darmuz (arsenic), mudra shankar (unidentified chemical, possibly a chromium salt) and camphor. One powdered seed of Datura stramonium is added to the mixture along with 400 gm of oil from seeds of Brassica campestris. The whole amount is boiled thoroughly, slightly cooled and applied to places where there is rheumatic pain. This is done 2-3 times daily till pain is cured. The is having a stimulatory effect upon the central nervous system. Since the plant is hallucinogenic causes difficulty in the cases of poisoning. The psychoactive effects are attributed due to the presence of chemical constituents like atropine and scopolamine. These causes stupor and delirium.

Medicinal Uses
Datura stramonium is used commonly as an antiasthmatics [22][23][24]. The extensive reported medicinal uses embarks upon the use of the dried leaves of the plant as an anti-asthmatic agent [25,26]. The cure for the asthma is the mixture of the seeds and leaves when taken orally as a smoke or decoction [27]. The aqueous extracts of the seeds are used in the treatment of indigestion and gastric pains [28]. Furthermore, this herbal remedy is also sometimes advised to pregnant mother having asthmatic complaints. It is used as a psychotropic, medicinal & antispasmodic [29]. It is used for burns, ulcers, asthma, headaches, sores and sinus infection [30]. DS is used intoxicant for its central anticholinergic effects and is made easily extracted by boiling the crushed seeds. The extract has rapid onset of action and may be useful for treating of organophosphate poisoning [31]. DS is a medicinal plant with antinociceptive effect [32] antioxidant [33], hypolipidemic [34], anti-inflammatory, antirheumatoid [35], and hypoglycemic properties [36].

Pharmacological properties and herb toxicity
Datura stramonium seed extract are having analgesic effect on both chronic & acute pain which were produced by formalin and hot plate testing methods. It is probably due to the effect of alkaloid that interacts with the opioid system [37]. The entire plant is toxic, particularly the seeds and foliage. The inhibition of central and peripheral muscarinic neurotransmission leads to anticholinergic syndrome. The patient presents with flushing, dry skin, accommodation which inflicys blurred vision and photophobia, hyperpyrexia, altered mental status, urinary retention, sinus tachycardia, myoclonic jerking. Other symptoms may include agitated delirium, impaired short-term memory, disorientation, confusion, ataxia, hallucinations, psychosis, coma, seizures, respiratory failure and cardiovascular collapse [38].
An extract prepared from the seeds of the datura possess activity which is typical of a protein lectin or haemagglutinin. The extract is able of agglutinating erythrocytes from several species, and is basically non-specific with regard to human ABO blood groups [39]. Laboratory monitoring of various changes in some blood group parameters in horses intoxicated with jimsonweed was carried out in order to investigate the effects. It was evident from the experiment that the intoxication was accompanied by erythrocytosis, hyperchromaemic, neutrophilia, leukocytosis, regenerative shift, lymphocytopenia, aneosinophilia, increased haematocrit values with very low erythrocyte sedimentation rate [40]. The entire plant is toxic but the highest amount of the alkaloids is obtained from the ripe seeds [41]. They have a prolific action as competitive antagonist of acetylcholine at central and peripheral muscarinic receptor sites. Poisoning from this plant results in general paralysis of parasympathetic innervated organs. The aqueous leaf extract of datura induces oxidative stress and cytotoxicity in human cancer cell lines. Extreme toxicity has been correlated with seizures and coma, although death is rarely reported [42].

Conclusion
The various phytochemicals present in the plant are glycosides, tannin, alkaloids, scopolamine, phenol, sterols atropine, proteins, fats, lignins and carbohydrates. When extracted with water and ethanol it contains alkaloids steroids, glycosides and saponin. The analgesic and antiasthmatic activities are due to the presence of alkaloids, tannins, carbohydrates and proteins. The presence of atropine helps in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, peptic ulcers, diarrhea and bronchial asthma [43]. The extraction of D. stramonium shows insecticidal effect while ethanolic extract shows good anti-microbial activities. Conventional use of paste of leaves and extracts are topically used for wounds, bleeding injuries and pain. Extract of flower petals is used in ear pain as well as seeds are used in cough, as purgative, in cough, asthma and fever