Jimsonweed
Datura stramoniumIts English name comes from Jamestown, Virginia, where in 1676 English soldiers who ate it in their food were out of their minds for days.
What is Jimsonweed?
Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) is a plant of the Solanaceae family. Traditions that use it: Anatolia and the Mediterranean, Andes, North America. Part used: leaves, seeds (not to be collected).
What is Jimsonweed used for?
Traditional use: The leaves were once smoked like cigarettes for asthma. Scientific evidence: traditional. Contains atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine; its effect is the same as toé and henbane.
Is Jimsonweed safe?
Safety label: high risk. The whole plant is deadly poisonous. It can cause hallucinations, high fever, racing heart and coma. Deaths have been reported among teenagers trying it as a “natural drug”.
Traditional use
The leaves were once smoked like cigarettes for asthma. Children are poisoned when they eat the seeds by accident.
Used as chamico in Andean sorcery and divination, and in coming-of-age rites by some North American Indigenous peoples.
In nature
Mix-up risk
Confused with toé; jimsonweed flowers point up, toé’s hang down. Its spiny capsule recalls a chestnut; children may eat the seeds.
Preparation
Not recommended to prepare or use.
What science says
Contains atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine; its effect is the same as toé and henbane.
Safety
The whole plant is deadly poisonous. It can cause hallucinations, high fever, racing heart and coma. Deaths have been reported among teenagers trying it as a “natural drug”.
Drug interactions
| Medicine or substance | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Anticholinergic drugs | Contains atropine and scopolamine; poisoning multiplies. |
| Glaucoma medicines | Raises eye pressure. |
This list is not complete. If you take regular medication, ask your pharmacist or doctor before trying Jimsonweed.
Similar plants
Sources
- ResearchOleander and Datura Poisoning: An Update
- BookBaytop T. Türkiye’de Bitkiler ile Tedavi: Geçmişte ve Bugün. 2. baskı. İstanbul: Nobel Tıp Kitabevleri; 1999.
- Botanical recordKew Plants of the World Online: Datura stramonium
- Titles of research sources are summarised in Turkish on the Turkish page; links open the original English publications.
Written by Edanaz Tınmazlar · Last reviewed: · Türkçe