The Medicinal Significance of Datura stramonium : A Review

protective effects. The present review is focused on the phytochemical and pharmacological studies of the stramonium

The primary biologically active substances in D. stramonium are the alkaloids atropine and scopolamine Ivancheva [15]. in roots in the vegetative period, and then totally disappeared in the generative period. Atropine present in roots in both the vegetative (0.045%) and generative (0.056%) periods. Stems were rich in atropine (0.070%) but poor in scopolamine (0.023%) in both stages [16][17][18][19]. The maximum contents of atropine are found in the stems leaves and seeds. The maximum contents of hyoscyamine and scopolamine are found in the stems and leaves of young plants, hyoscyamine being always the predominant component.

Traditional Use of Datura Stramonium
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that four billion people, about 80% of the world's population presently use herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care.
Plants generally produce many secondary metabolites which were constituted an important source of many pharmaceutical drugs [20][21]. In Ayurvedic medicine, D. stramonium is described as a useful remedy for various human ailments including ulcers, wounds, inflammation, rheumatism and gout, sciatica, bruises and swellings, fever, asthma, bronchitis and toothache. Many folk medicine remedies use D. stramonium therapeutically [22]. The juice of the leaves in warm milk was used to expel intestinal worms including cestodes, seeds with palm oil used externally for insect bites and stings insects. When the leaves of Datura stramonium mixed with mustard oil then it is useful in skin disorders. Juice of flower petals is used in ear pain and seeds are used as purgative, in cough, fever and asthma. Seeds are smoked due to its narcotic action [23][24]. In Western Nepal, leaves of Datura along with the leaves of Cannabis sativa and stem of Neopicrorhizascrofulariflora, are pounded with water and applied to treat headaches. Datura seeds are crushed with grains of rice and taken orally to relief in indigestion. In parts of Central Nepal fresh leaves are warmed and placed on a sprained body part repeatedly, before going to bed, for the alleged analgesic effect. In India, seeds are used as a tonic and febrifuge. The leaves are roasted and applied locally to relieve pain [25]. Native Americans used Datura seeds for many years as a euphoric agent. Since the 1800s, it was used as a therapeutic agent in Great Britain [26].

Organophosphate Poisoning (OP)
DS contains atropine and other anticholinergic compounds and it is very useful remedy for the central cholinergic symptoms of OP. Bania et al [27] reported the beneficial effects of DS seed extracts following a severe OP. According to their experiment, DS seeds were heated in water to make 2mg/ml atropine solution and administrated to male rats as a single intraperitoneal injection 5min before the subcutaneous injection of 25mg/kg of dichlorvos.

Pretreatment with Datura seed extract significantly increased
survival in a rat model of severe OP.

Antiepileptic Effects
According to Peredery and Persinger [28], rats were

Anti-Asthmatic Activity
D. stramonium contains a variety of alkaloids, including atropine and scopolamine, having an anticholinergic and broncho dilating activity. Atropine and scopolamine act on the muscarinic receptors by blocking them (particularly the M2 receptors) on airway smooth muscle and submucosal gland cells, which dilate bronchial smooth muscle and ease asthmatic attacks. Charpin et al. [31] reported that using D. stramonium as an antiasthmatic, cigarette is an effective bronchodilator in asthmatic patients with mild airway obstruction.
However, the exposure of D. stramonium to the fetus when a mother uses it for asthma will cause a continuous release of acetylcholine, resulting in the desensitizing of nicotinic receptors, which could ultimately result in permanent damage to the fetus [32].

Analgesic Activity
The analgesic effect of alcoholic Datura seed was evaluated in acute and chronic pain using hot plate and formalin tests. The extracts when intraperitonealy administrated to the animals, they, dose dependently alleviated the pain, and ED50 was 25 and 50mg/ kg in hot plate and formalin tests, respectively [33].

Antifungal Activity
According to Mdee et al. [34], the fungicidal effects of the acetone extracts indicate the potential of DS seeds as a natural source of antifungal agent. The MIC of DS extracts ranges from 1.25-2.50mg/ml.

Anticancer Activity
D. stramonium was reported to have anticancer effect against human epidermal carcinoma of the nasopharynx at a therapeutic dose of 0.05 to 0.1g. However, precaution should be taken while using Datura as an anticancer agent since adverse anticholinergic effects may occur [35].

Infertility in Women
Datura flowers are effective treatment of infertility in women.
The dried powder of Datura flowers in dosage of 120 mg is given with honey 10 days after menstruation. It is given for 5 to 7 days.
This remedy is effective in infertility of unknown reason [36].

Insecticidal Activity
Datura plant generates a characteristic odor that acts as repellent for various insects and pests. Kurnal, et al. [37] have reported that the ethanol extracts of D. stramonium leaf and seed showed potent acaricidal, repellent, and oviposition deterrent activity against adult two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychusurticae) under laboratory conditions. Leaf and seed extracts which were applied in 167. 25 and 145.75g/L concentrations (using a Petri leaf disc-spray tower method), caused 98% and 25% mortality among spider mite adults after 48h, respectively. These results suggest that D. stramonium could be used to manage the two-spotted spider mite.

Dosage
DS is generally administrated at a dose of 60-185mg powder for leaf and 60-120mg powder for seed [38].

Conclusion
Plants are used as for food, shelter, fiber, tan, gum, oil, latex etc. They are rich source of nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins, due to this; they also contributed immunomodulatory effect. This review concluded that Datura stramonium is a wild plant having various medicinal and pharmacological properties and these properties exploited for cancer, rheumatism, ear pain, headache, wound, burn, stress, depression, insomnia, asthma, boils, and inflammation. Datura stramonium, exhibits pharmacological effect and prepared as herbal or botanical drugs by pharmaceutical industries for many diseases, but not used in native form because of its lethal effect.