There are many different species in the Datura genus. Probably the two most well-known are the devil's weed (Datura inoxia) and the thornapple or jimson weed (Datura strammonium).
Datura flower
The plants all share similar characteristics, such as white or pink trumpet like flowers, large heart shaped leaves and plumb-shaped seed pods, usually green and covered with fleshy thorns (hence thornapple). The plants are becoming increasingly popular among landscape and amateur gardners and can be found in many gardens and parks.
Associated with shamans notably in the Americas, the drug is only used by a few experimental recreational users and by pharmaceutical companies to extract hyosciamine, hyoscine, scopolamine and mainly atropine.
Atropine is used by opticians to dilate the pupils and by doctors to treat heart and urinary problems. Some herbalists also use it to treat birth and menstrual pains. Atropine is also found in belladonna and henbane.
The plant's effects are mainly stupefying. That is, they make the user feel drowsy, drunk-like and detached from things around them. They can also bring on hallucinations The doses are difficult to judge and can easily cause unconsciousness and death.
