Datura Stramonium Effects

Datura stramonium, a weed of the nightshade family, contains the powerful compounds atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine. These toxins are found in all parts of the plant. Known as anticholinergics, they work by interfering with the action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Ingesting this plant in any form, whether raw, cooked, dried or made into tea, can cause what is known as "anticholinergic poisoning". Medical students are taught a saying that helps them remember the main symptoms of anticholinergic poisoning: "Blind as a bat, dry as a bone, red as a beet, mad as a hatter, and hot as an oven."

"Blind as a Bat"

• The nerve signals to the muscles that control the lens of the eye are disrupted. This leads to severely blurred vision.

"Dry as a Bone"

• The mouth, eyes, and skin are all very dry. The salivary glands, sweat glands and tear glands stop working because nerves controlling them are blocked by the anticholinergic compounds. Dry mouth leads to extreme thirst and difficulty in swallowing.

"Red as a Beet"

• Flushing occurs as the blood vessels in the skin dilate, causing redness. Why this happens is not understood.

"Mad as a Hatter"

• The brain is also affected; confusion, delirium, agitation and disorientation are common. There is an inability to concentrate or keep a train of thought, and speech is reduced to gibberish. Visual and auditory hallucinations can be severe, and perceptions are wildly distorted. Judgment is drastically impaired and violent or self-injurious behavior often occurs.

"Hot as an Oven"

• The body temperature climbs out of control. This is compounded by the inhibition of sweating. It is not clear how the anticholinergics cause this.

Urinary Retention

• The muscle that squeezes the bladder to empty it when urinating is paralyzed. This leads to the bladder becoming too full. This can damage the bladder and, if severe, the kidneys.

Delayed Stomach Emptying and Ileus

• The muscles responsible for the movement of food through the stomach stop working. This slows or stops the emptying of the stomach into the small intestine. Ileus is when the muscles of the bowel are paralyzed, preventing defecation. These can cause the effects to last longer because the material spends more time in the digestive system.

Other Effects

• Tachycardia or fast heartbeat is caused when anticholinergics keep the vagus nerve from regulating the heart. The irises relax and the pupils become dilated. This can lead to photophobia or aversion to light. Victims of anticholinergic poisoning may not remember what happened to them, as the brain processes involved in memory formation are disrupted by the toxins.

  Respiratory depression, convulsions, coma and death can result from ingesting Datura stramonium.