Datura stramonium
I grew up encountering this plant so many times, as a matter of fact, the population of this plant almost rivalled that of humans in my secondary school at some point.
Datura stramonium goes by many names: Jimson weed, thorn apple, stink weed, mad apple, Devil's snare, hell bell, etc. With at least 9 species, the plant though autochtonous to America, the plants have become allochthonous and is now found in Europe, India and Africa.
It has numerous benefits which include;
- Used for hair growth.
- Used to make medicine and drugs.
- Used to treat pain, fistula and abscesses.
- The seeds and leaves are anti-asthmatic and hypnotic.
- Burning leaves are mosquito and larva repellent.
- The infusion relieves athritis
- Used to treat palpitations and hypertension
And so on..
It also has some side effects, some of them are;
- Datura chemicals such as scopolamine and atropine are used as poison and used in murders and suicides.
- It increases heart rate.
- Ingesting it may cause violent behavior.
- The leaves are harmful to the eyes.
- Can cause amnesia