192 DATURA STRAMONIUM 



L. a closely allied species, have been used in this country and 

 elsewhere as a substitute for those of D. Stramonium, which they 

 closely resemble in properties ; but there is no reliable evidence of 

 their being of greater strength, as has been stated. 

 - In the Pharmacopoeia of India the leaves and seeds (Datura 

 Folia et Semina) of Datura alba, L., under -the name of Dhatura, 

 are also official, like the corresponding parts of D. Stramonium. 

 They possess similar properties, and are regarded as of about equal 

 strength. 



Datura fastuosa, L. another species, or a variety of D. alba, 

 and also common in India, h$js similar properties to it. 



Composition. The activity of both the leaves and seeds of 

 D. Stramonium are due to the highly poisonous alkaloid daturia 

 or daturine ; and although we have no chemical proof of the 

 existence of this alkaloid in the other species of Datura alluded to 

 under the head of Substitutes, its presence in them can scarcely be 

 doubted. , The leaves however, contain the alkaloid in much smaller 

 proportion than the seeds, and the latter even only yield about 

 ~ per cent, The alkaloid is said to be combined with malic acid. 

 This alkaloid was first described by Geiger and Hesse in 1833, 

 but according to A. von Planta, daturia is identical in composition, 

 and possesses the same chemical characteristics as atropia, which 

 see under Atropa Belladonna. The action of the two alkaloids 

 also resemble each other in their power of dilating the pupil of 

 the eye; but, according to Schroff, atropia has twice the 

 poisonous energy of daturia ; while Jobert, again, regards daturia, 

 when applied to the eye, as about three times as powerful as 

 atropia, and more constant and lasting in its operation. 



Medical Properties and Uses. The action of stramonium on 

 the system appears to be the same as that of belladonna, and 

 Garrod says, that he made " many comparative clinical observa- 

 tions on stramonium and belladonna and on stramonium and 

 henbane ; he could not, however, distinguish between the action 

 of the three plants when they were administered in corresponding 

 doses." Further observations on the action and uses of stra- 

 monium are, however, a desideratum. The properties of stramo- 



