[This Datura FAQ is written by u/AnandaPriestessLove on Reddit from r/Datura, and she generously permitted me to repost it here! I know sometimes the topic of taking a few seeds to potentiate other substances or combat nausea is mentioned, but even small doses such as that are something that should never be taken without tons of research and consideration - if at all. Stay safe, Nexians!
]
Hello and welcome to the r/Datura FAQ!
If you are reading this, you are likely considering taking Datura in some form or another. If your question is: “How do I get high off of Datura?” please see question #4. If you are interested in the history and correct use of Datura, please read the rest.
If you have pre-existing heart, liver, kidney conditions or are prone to psychosis, you should not use Datura.
Please go on Erowid and read the Datura basics here:
https://erowid.org/plant...tura/datura_basics.shtmlFor ID of various types of Datura, please see here:
https://www.reddit.com/r...app&utm_source=shareA note of warning regarding larger doses of datura, to quote the Erowid page, “The main effects of datura are delirium, extreme disorientation, and realistic hallucinations. Many users report periods of several hours in which they have no memory of what they were doing. Behavior is often irrational and accidental injury is a serious risk. Datura also causes physical effects including blurred vision/inability to focus the eyes (lasting up to several days), dryness of mouth, sedation or excitement, inhibited digestion, and an inability to perspire.”
1.) What is datura?
Datura is a plant in the Nightshade, or Solanaceae family of plants. The word Solanaceae comes from the Latin root word “Solanum” or “of the Sun”. In South America, datura is known as “Toloache” which means “a nod of respect”. The Nightshade family of plants contains highly potent medicines but they can also be deadly. Nightshades can be found on every continent except the North Pole and Antarctica, and have a long history of medicinal and spiritual use. The Nightshade family includes the common food plants eggplant and tomato, also the more intoxicating tobacco, then the more potent datura, belladonna, henbane, mandrake, etc. For more on history of datura and how it got the nickname, “Jimsonweed”, please see Footnote B below)
There are many different varieties of Datura, including Datura wrightii, Datura stramonium, Datura innoxia, and others. Each variety has the same alkaloids but in slightly different proportions. The Brugmansia family has many shared chemical with Datura with a basic difference being Datura is a bush/ground plant whose flowers generally point upwards and Brugmansia grows as a tree with the flowers facing down.
Brugmansia feels, for lack of a better term, extremely aggressive and is not advisable for a beginner to work with.
2.) What are the medicinal components and properties of datura?
Datura and many other Nightshades such as belladonna, henbane and mandrake all contain tropane alkaloids. (For more detail, please see footnote A below)
In smaller doses, datura can be a potent anxiolytic, antidepressant and topical painkiller. In larger doses they are traditionally used for spiritual and shamanic purposes, and then only by a trained practitioner or shaman.
Some plants produce considerably more active alkaloids than others, which means from some plants 1 seed will have little or no psychoactivity, whereas from another plant, that seed may result in serious medical complications. Although fairly unlikely that 1 seed will cause death, eating any Datura is not advised simply because the alkaloid content is unknown. As another Redditor put it, “Treat datura with the same respect you would give your senile grandmother if she were pointing a loaded shotgun at your face.” Datura can kill you through respiratory paralysis or a heart attack. If you are looking to get high or hallucinate, the r/Datura community highly encourages you to look elsewhere for a safer hallucinatory experience.
Taken in the wrong amount, tropane alkaloids can cause convulsions, paralysis or death. They can also dilate the eyes for prolonged periods of time. They can cause prolonged periods of intense thirst, inability to sweat, and hallucinations which are often forgotten. It is not unusual for datura users to experience “fish eye” and be unable to read due to dilated pupils between a few days and several weeks after ingesting the plant.
3.) What is datura used for?
Datura has been used on nearly all continents as a source of medicine and as an inebriant. It is safest when used topically (on the skin in the form of an ointment or oil). In South America it is common in remote towns to find a grandmother selling datura salve for arthritis. In modern western herbalism, datura salve (ointment) is used in small amounts to treat arthritis, nerve pain, anxiety and depression. The active alkaloids do cross the skin barrier, although the most toxic of the tropane alkaloids, atropine, doesn’t cross the skin. Thus, topical use is the safest method.
One author of this FAQ only uses topical Datura for safety reasons. It is safest to obtain this medicine from a trained herbalist than for the untrained to attempt to make it at home. This plant is so toxic that for a child to hold a few leaves can be deadly to a sensitive individual. Adults who trim their datura without gloves may become lightheaded or even trip accidentally. One gardener known to the author accidentally touched his eye after cutting his Brugmansia. His one eye remained dilated for several days after he touched it, prompting many family members and friends to be worried he had a stroke. In short, the potency of this particular plant can not be over stated.
4.) How do I get high on datura?
Please DO NOT get high on Datura. Due to its poor safety profile, It is most inadvisable to get high off of. It is a very toxic plant and the strength of each plant varies greatly. Due to the variation in tropane alkaloids, while one experience with 10 seeds from one plant may be beneficial for some, the same dose from a different plant or even the same plant may send the user to the hospital. Also, at doses high enough to hallucinate from, the experience doesn’t tend to be enjoyable as with a less toxic hallucinogenic substance.
Many high dose experiences resulting in hallucinations feature large amount of bugs, worms, or spiders. It is an exceedingly common theme and is rarely if ever pleasant for the user. Another common theme amongst datura users who hallucinate are seeing “shadow people”. The reality or spiritual nature of these beings is up for debate. Another very common experience is smoking phantom cigarettes. It is a fairly universal enough experience to have its own Erowid page.
Datura has her own spirit and feels very female for the vast majority of users. Many indigenous cultures consider the spirit of datura to be an old woman. Two of her names are “Old Woman Momoy” for the Chumash and for the Mixe of Oaxaca she is “ta:g’amih” which means “grandmother” (Datura wrightii). (Ratsch, p 215)
Because tropane alkaloids effect memory, often times the user “wakes up” in either a day or several days after ingesting datura only to be informed of their actions by their concerned families and friends or medical professionals. Please reference the below reports. The first two users took exceedingly high doses, the 3rd took what another user considered a standard dose and still ended up in the hospital. The last user drank a tea made from 3 flowers and split it with a friend and still ended up in the hospital:
https://www.erowid.org/e...riences/exp.php?ID=10436https://www.erowid.org/e...iences/exp.php?ID=114178https://erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=14996https://erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=465185.) How is Datura used?
The dose makes the poison. In very small quantities, some of us have found datura to be healing and a helpful Medicine and spiritual Ally. Some in the community have learned with great caution and respect, to use datura as “safely” as possible. In order, these are the methods by which to use this sacred plant, listed in order of least to most risk:
Topically either as a salve (oinment) or oil. Do not use the direct juices of the plant as it is highly potent and therefore potentially toxic.
Please have your ointment or oil made by a reputable, trained herbalist. Wear disposable medical gloves for application as you do not want to cross contaminate by having pets or yourself accidentally lick your fingers after application as there is a very real risk of injury or death with ingestion, even at small amounts.
Peak effect for topical application occurs in 2-3 hours after topical application. The effects last about 6 hours before the come down.
A dose of either a pea size of salve or 1 drop of oil, rubbed into the tops of the feet at let to sit for 30 minutes uncovered is the proper way to test topical datura. You must test each new batch to determine its strength before use. Other traditional sites for application aside from the top of the feet include the inside of the wrists, armpits, base of spine, and the neck/shoulder area. If you have pets or kids, do not apply datura anywhere except the top of your feet, then carefully cover your feet with socks and slippers once 30 minutes has elapsed for the safety of your fuzzies and other humans.
It is wisest to wait at least 24 hours after your first test for any adverse effects to manifest. If there is no rash/bad effects, you can try ¼ tsp of ointment, rubbed into the top of the feet and let to sit for 30 minutes minimum before covering. If you are testing a new vial of oil, try 2 drops your second time out, three the time after that, etc. The average dose for a typical strength ointment is between 1/4tsp-1tsp rubbed into the skin. The amount depends on the user. Start with the lowest dose and slowly experiment until you find the correct dose. With oils, strength varies widely. The author has one Datura wrightii oil which doses ideally at 13 drops on the tops of the feet. A Brugmansia oil she has maxes out at 3 drops, and even that is pushing it. To exceed the dose well tolerated by your body can cause hallucinations, dilated eyes, heart palpitations, or death.
Because tropane alkaloids build up in your body over time, you should not use topical datura more often than your herbalist recommends. One well known Candian herbalist recommends her ointments be used for 2 weeks on max, minimum 1 week off. A well respected oil maker in the US recommends no more than 3 days continuous usage followed by at least 2 weeks off. Listen to your body. I know when a topical dose makes my chest feel tight, or my breathing labored, it is time to wash off my dose with either soap and water many times or with tar shampoo, then take a break for a while. My method of use is 2 or 3 days on, 2 weeks up to 2+ months off. This is for maximum safety, as damage caused by datura can be permanent.
Smoking.
Smoking the dried leaves of datura has a long history and spans many cultures. Until the 1960’s, the asthma remedy Asthmador contained half datura leaves, half belladonna leaves. It was reported to have been highly effective, but was taken off the shelves due to people trying to get high off it and injuring themselves in the process.
In India the variety Datura metel has been used both as a sacrifice to the god Shiva and an inebriant. According to Ratsch, “In Uttar Pradesh (northern India) it is common knowledge that Datura metel can be used for inebriating purposes. Smoking the plant is regarded as pleasurable and not dangerous, whereas eating or drinking it is considered dangerous and is generally avoided.” (pg. 204)
Despite the reported folk beliefs from Uttar Pradesh, smoking the leaves can be harmful so must be done carefully. A cautious dosage is .1g of dried leaf, smoked. Wait for 5-10 minutes then try another hit. It allegedly combines well with cannabis, both from user reports and tradition in India. Less is more. If you have a heart condition or are predisposed towards psychiatric illness, please do not smoke datura as your risk of complications is much higher.
Ingestion.
As noted in the previous segment, ingestion is not advisable. If you eat a dangerous amount, you will need medical assistance. In such cases your stomach will be pumped, you will likely be forced to drink charcoal, be forcibly restrained/tranquilized via IV, and be cathetered while in the hospital. Not fun.
But, if you feel very called to ingest datura, there are several users in the community who use 1 or 2 seeds chewed per day for anxiety/depression on occasion. Breaks are taken between use. Some have slowly experimented and found a dose of up to 10 or 20 seeds produced deeply visionary states. If you do eat datura seeds, you will need a sitter or several, who are strong enough to restrain you if necessary. If you eat too much, you will be delirious, with no understanding of this reality, for several days. This can result in bodily harm when the user hurts themselves while their awareness of this reality is gone.
Please read the advice for trip sitters here:
https://www.erowid.org/e...riences/exp.php?ID=27296 Erowid states, “Datura seeds and flowers are usually more potent than the leaves and roots. Potency increases over the reproductive period and peaks while the plant is fruiting. As few as 10 datura seeds taken orally or one leaf brewed into a tea can produce profound perceptual changes, and 30-40 seeds is an extremely potent dose.”
It should be noted that most of the train wrecks and trip disasters noted on Erowid have occurred from users who either ate seeds or drank the tea.
Please DO NOT make a tea with datura as a casual user.
Please DO NOT eat the seeds, but if you do, please DO NOT eat them in great numbers.
We in r/Datura love you and don’t want to see you end up as a cautionary Erowid tale or worse.
6.) What substances are safe to combine with Datura?
Although nothing with Datura can be considered "safe", here are general guidelines to be aware of:
According to Sarah Lawless, an experienced herbalist and teacher, Nightshades are acceptable to combine with SSRIs. Cannabis is also acceptable to combine with Datura.
Please do not combine dissociatives or stimulants with Datura due to increased risk of permanent psychosis or heart problems. To quote Psychonaut wiki, "Datura has been reported to cause psychosis and delirium at a significantly higher rate than other hallucinogens like LSD, ketamine, or DMT. There are a large number of experience reports online which describe states of psychotic delirium, amnesia, and other serious consequences after abusing the drug." (5) The combination of potent drugs of a similar nature will potentiate each other. Since Datura affects the heart, it is best to avoid other drugs which greatly affect heart rate and blood pressure.
Other Nighshades are generally acceptable to combine with Datura for topical application only, and then only if one lowers the dose for both. In such cases, the user will need far less of a dose in order to achieve the same effects.
To paraphrase Paracelsus, the Swiss physician and philosopher from the 1500’s, “The dose makes the poison”. Less is more. Be careful and take your time when approaching this plant. Her strength is not to be underestimated or you will have harmful or fatal results. Used correctly and in small amounts it can be very healing and helpful for some people, many of whom are in this sub. Many blessings and safety on your path.
7.) How do I grow Datura?
Cultivation: Datura is easily grown from seed. Bury seeds shallowly in moist soil and mist surface of soil regularly. Germination is erratic and can occur within a few days to several weeks or even months. Growers will often report new seedlings emerging from the soil six months or longer after planting seeds. Techniques such as scarification and soaking in water have been reported to improve germination. Datura will grow in any type of soil, but prefers rich, well-drained soil. Datura does best in large containers or tubs but will grow in smaller pots as well, although transplanting will eventually be required.
The plant thrives in full sun and benefits from regular fertilization, although it can grow and thrive without any at all. Fertilizer high in nitrogen can increase alkaloid content. Datura requires little maintenance but regular watering becomes necessary in summer months. The plant will visibly droop, indicating the need for water.
Datura can be transplanted with relative ease even as a young seedling. Species such as metel are less hardy and therefore transplanting at an early stage of life is more prone to failure, but a species like inoxia can virtually be torn from the soil and repotted successfully.
Datura can also be propagated from cutting. This method is generally considered inferior to growing from seed, as rooting a cutting can take months. However, it has its advantages: For those who would rather have a full-grown plant immediately rather than waiting for seeds to grow, propagation from cutting is a solution. The process is not particularly difficult, and is a completely legitimate way to grow datura.
Propagation can be done by cutting a section off a mother plant that includes two leaf nodes (section where two leaves emerge from the stem) using a pair of clean, sharp scissors. To increase the likelihood that the cutting will root, dip it in rooting hormone before placing it in soil. Aloe vera is a natural rooting hormone that can be used for this purpose. After applying rooting hormone to the base of the cutting, immediately put it in soil and keep it in a shady area out of direct sunlight. Cutting will root within weeks to months.
References:
The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants (2005), Ratsch. Pg 200)
Discovery of subtype selective muscarinic receptor antagonists as alternatives to atropine using in silico pharmacophore modeling and virtual screening methods - PubMed (nih.gov)
https://erowid.org/plant...tura/datura_basics.shtmlWicked Plants (2009), Jane Stewart
https://m.psychonautwiki.org/wiki/DaturaFootnote A: The major tropane alkaloids found in Datura are scopolamine, hyoscyamine as most dominant, then atropine and others.[1] Scopolamine, hyoscyamine and atropine are substances which affect the action of acetylcholine. Your body uses acetylcholine to control smooth muscle movement. Scopolamine stimulates the area of the brain that causes nausea and vomiting in addition to effecting the involuntary muscle movement in the lungs, gastrointestinal and urinary tracts. In Western medicine, scopolamine patches are used to stop nausea caused by motion sickness or post surgery. Hyoscyamine is often used to treat bladder spasms or IBS. Atropine is sometimes used to stop the toxic reaction when a person is exposed to certain chemical warfare agents, for muscarinic mushroom poisoning or for certain eye conditions.
Scopolamine is a well known muscarinic subtype non-specific antagonist that competitively inhibits acetylcholine (ACh) at postganglionic muscarinic sites.(Pubmed)
Footnote B: In the US, datura is also known as Jimsonweed. When the first settlers first arrived at Jamestown in 1607, they found a lovely, leafy plant growing abundantly which seemed it would be a ready food source. Several colonists died painfully at that time as a result of eating datura. The residents remembered this experience. Some 70 years later, when the British invaded, the colonists fed the British soldiers salads made with Datura as an ingredient. Although none of the soldiers died, they were severely incapacitated while hallucinating for 11 days, giving the colonists the upper hand. (Stewart, pg 67) The herb is now commonly known as “Jimsonweed” which is a shortened form of “Jamestown Weed” in memory of these events.
Some things will come easy, some will be a test