Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Datura metel
Introduction
Datura metel, commonly known as Devil’s trumpet, metel, or downy thorn-apple is a shrub-like annual herb with large flowers, typically white or yellow. Native to China, it is now used in landscaping and gardening in North America.
Medicinal use
Medicinal use
D. metel is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in Chinese herbology, where it is called yáng jīn huā (洋金花).
Toxicity
Toxicity
This plant may be toxic if ingested in any quantity, symptomatically expressed as flushed skin, headaches, hallucinations, and possibly convulsions or even a coma. The principal toxic elements are tropane alkaloids. Accidentally (or intentionally) ingesting even a single leaf could lead to severe side effects.
References
References
- Blanchan, Neltje (2005). Wild Flowers Worth Knowing. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Check date values in:
|year=(help)