Description

Datura metel, the Hindu datura or thorn apple, is a robust annual herb of the family Solanaceae, native to tropical and subtropical South Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa, now naturalized across warm regions globally. The plant produces large, showy, trumpet-shaped white or purple-tinged flowers and spiny capsular fruits containing numerous flat, yellow-brown seeds. The seeds, along with other plant parts, contain tropane alkaloids — principally atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine — and are classified as a poisonous plant under Indian law. However, in classical Ayurveda, Datura (Dhatura) is referenced in the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita under strict Shodhana (detoxification) protocols for use in preparations associated with bronchial and neurological conditions. Extreme caution governs its pharmaceutical handling.