Medicinal Plants of Central Asia
Raymond Cooper, Jeffrey John Deakin in Natural Products of Silk Road Plants, 2020
Datura stramonium L. (Solanaceae) (Durman vonyuchego (Russian), Bangi devona (Tajik)) probably originated in the Neotropics but has been introduced worldwide where it has become an aggressive invasive weed (Witt and Luke, 2017). A decoction of the seeds is used as a gargle to treat toothache and headache, as an analgesic, sedative, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory (Sharopov and Setzer, 2018; Egamberdieva and Jabborova, 2018; Zaurov et al., 2013). The flowers are pounded and applied externally on the forehead to relieve headaches and on the eyes to treat pains in the eyes (Sezik et al., 2004). All parts of the plant contain tropane alkaloids, principally atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine (Figure 4.8) (Das et al., 2012; Gaire and Subedi, 2013; Singh and Singh, 2013).
Antagonists at Muscarinic Cholinergic Receptors
Kenneth J. Broadley in Autonomic Pharmacology, 2017
The chief source of the naturally occurring alkaloids with muscarinic blocking activity is among the Solanaceous plants. Atropine is the racemate, (±)-hyoscyamine (Table 9.1), (−)-hyoscyamine being found in the leaves, root and berries of the Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna). The properties of belladonna preparations as poisons and medicines were known in the Middle Ages and in the times of the Roman Empire. The name Atropa belladonna was given by Linnaeus after Atropos of Greek mythology, the oldest of the Three Fates, whose task was to cut the thread of life. The name belladonna is reputedly derived from the Italian for ‘beautiful woman’ and attributed to the practice of instilling belladonna extracts into the eyes; the dilated pupils making the eyes appear larger and more attractive. As medicinal agents, plants containing atropine were first introduced into Western medicine in the early 1800s. The root, leaves and seeds of Datura stramonium (known as Jimson or Jamestown weed, thornapple, stinkweed and devil’s apple), which are also rich sources of (−)-hyoscyamine, had been burned and the smoke inhaled for relief of asthma. However, it was not until the 1920s that atropine was used for premedication prior to surgery. The closely related alkaloid, hyoscine (scopolamine), is found in the leaves and flowering top of the shrub Hyoscyamus niger (black henbane), which also contains substantial levels of (−)-hyoscyamine (Martindale 1989).
Anesthesia and analgesia and the curse of Eve
Michael J. O’Dowd in The History of Medications for Women, 2020
Scopolamine (and atropine) is a naturally occurring antimuscarinic alkaloid from the belladonna plant. Preparations of belladonna have been used in medications since antiquity and were known to be poisonous in higher dosage. Scopolamine (hyoscine) was isolated in 1871 and is mainly found in the shrub Hyoscamus niger (henbane). Linneaus named Atropa belladona, a species of belladonna, in memory of Atropos, the eldest of the three Fates who cuts the thread of life. Atropa belladona is also known as deadly nightshade and yields atropine, an alkaloid first isolated by Mein in 1831, synthesized by Willstatter in 1896 and later used as a premedication for anesthesia. Atropine is found in a variety of plants including Datura stramonium, variously known as jimson weed, thorn-apple and devil’s apple.
Datura and Brugmansia plants related antimuscarinic toxicity: an analysis of poisoning cases reported to the Taiwan poison control center
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2019
Uyen Vy Doan, Ming-Ling Wu, Dong-Haur Phua, Bomar Mendez Rojas, Chen-Chang Yang
Datura and Brugmansia poisonings are reported in the literature but the causes of poisoning are different across continents and countries. Most cases of Datura poisoning in the United States are due to Datura stramonium seeds and are mainly attributed to recreational use in young adults and adolescents. The reported percentage of intentional misuse or abuse varied between 78.3% and 94.5% [1–4]. By contrast, the reason for reports of Datura poisoning was more diverse in European countries and had included various accidents such as touching flowers, cleaning the garden, misidentification of plants, robbery, and use of the plant in traditional medicine. Moreover, the incriminated plant species were not limited to D. stramonium, but also included D. inoxia, Brugmansia suaveolens (previously known as Datura suaveolens), and B. aborea [5–11].
Plant poisonings in Australia: a retrospective series of calls to the Queensland Poisons Information Centre
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2023
Tamim Islam, Robert Knoeckel, Carol Wylie, Katherine Isoardi
More severe toxicity was seen in recreational or intentional exposures, particularly of anticholinergic plants, often occurring in young male adults, which is consistent with previous studies on plant exposures [2,4,8]. Our study identified anticholinergic plants to include Brugmansia spp., Datura stramonium, and, uniquely, Duboisia myoporoides. This may be due to species of Duboisia myoporoides being native to Queensland, further supporting the geographical patterning of plant poisonings [16]. In these cases, symptoms predominantly aligned with an anticholinergic toxidrome, including tachycardia, mydriasis, and delirium. However, since even small exposures to toxic plants can result in severe symptoms, eight cases with moderate toxicity were identified from unintentional ingestions.
History of asthma in Canada
Published in Canadian Journal of Respiratory, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, 2022
Chronic asthma pharmacologic management was limited and included treatments such as potassium iodide39,40,42 and arsenic.39 Ephedrine, orally administered, was studied in Canada in the mid-1920s45,46 and by the 1940s was available either alone or in combination with a barbiturate for chronic use.43 Throughout this period, asthma burning powders and asthma cigarettes containing anti-muscarinic belladonna alkaloids, mainly from Datura stramonium, were widely used but received only passing mention in the academic literature.40,41 Kellogg’s asthma burning powder and cigarettes, one of the more popular brands, were made in Canada (Figure 1). By the 1940s, hand-held glass nebulizers were in use for ambulatory administration of racemic epinephrine.41
Related Knowledge Centers
- Anticholinergic
- Datura
- Delirium
- Dysphoria
- Entheogen
- Muscarinic Antagonist
- Atropine
- Species
- Deliriant
- Tropane Alkaloid