Thornapple's Details & Specifications

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Botanical Name :  Datura stramonium Linn.
Hindi Name :  Dhatura (View Name of this herb in more Languages)
English Name :  Thornapple
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Category

 :  Nerve Tonic
 
 

Source
Leaves :  Fresh and dried
Seeds :  Dried
Whole Herb :  Fresh and dried
 
 

Family

 :  Solanaceae
 
 
Geographical Source
The plant is indigenous to America and is found in following countries :- Africa America Arab India Japan Sri Lanka Turkey
 
 

Identification
Organoleptic characteristics
Colour :  N/A
Seeds :  Thornapple
Taste :  N/A
Size :  N/A
Physical Standards
Total Ash :  N/A
Moisture :  N/A
 
 

Chemical Constituents
Major
Major chemical constituents responsible for physicochemical and therapeutic action of the herb are:- ? Scopolamine (hyoscine) ? Hyoscyamine ? Atropine ? Potassium nitrate ? Volatile oil ? Gum ? Resin ? Starch Datura leaves contain about 0.5% alkaloid chiefly scopolamine (hyoscine) with traces of hyoscyamine and atropine. It serves as a commercial source of scopolamine. The leaves yielding 17 to 20 per cent of ash are rich in potassium nitrate to which doubtless part of the antispasmodic effects are due. The leaves also contain traces of volatile oil, gum, resin, starch, and other unimportant substances. The constituents of the seed are practically the same as those of the leaves except that they contain about 25 per cent of fixed oil. The seeds though contain a much greater proportion of alkaloid rendering them more powerful than the leaves but the presence of the large amount of fixed oil makes it difficult to extract the alkaloids or to make stable preparations and therefore the leaves have greatly taken the place of the seeds. The mid-rib and footstalk of the leaf contain a far larger proportion of alkaloid than the blade. It is generally considered that the main stems and the root contain little alkaloid and should therefore, not be present in the drug. The whole plant with or without the root can be harvested and used for the commercial preparations without fear of the total alkaloid content falling below 0.25% which is the desired standard of the United States Pharmacopoeia. The total mydriatic (pupil-dilating) alkaloids contents of the leaf and secondary stems or the leaves with 10 per cent of the secondary stems when analysed individually run much higher than the United States Pharmacopoeia requirement. Of the whole plant including stem, root and leaf, the leaf represents about 41%. Excluding the root the ratio of the leaf to the stem is about 47.5 to 52.3 per cent. In general it has been found that fresh parts yielded more alkaloid than the dried parts. The alkaloid consists chiefly of hyoscyamine, associated with atropine and hyoscine (scopolamine), malic acid also being present. The Daturin formerly described, as a constituent is now known to be a mixture of hyoscyamine and atropine.
 
Minor
The drug contains various minor chemical constituents however no specific contents have been identified yet.
 
 

Storage
To maintain physicochemical properties and medicinal values of the herb it is recommended to maintain following storage conditions:- Air tight containers Protection from light Protection from moisture