Can Datura Kill You? Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment

Datura, the spiny-podded weed and garden plant also called thorn apple, is poisonous enough to kill, and deaths have been recorded in children and adults. Most people who reach a hospital quickly recover, because doctors can support the body until the poison wears off. What makes datura so dangerous is that it seems to offer a “trip,” when it is actually shutting down the body’s automatic controls, including heart rhythm and cooling.

How Often Datura Poisoning Turns Deadly

When relief food in Uganda was contaminated with datura seeds, 293 people fell ill and 5 died, about 1.7%.1PubMed Central. Large outbreak of Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) poisoning due to consumption of contaminated humanitarian relief food: Uganda, March–April 2019 Two of those who died were children, aged 2 and 10.2PubMed Central. Large outbreak of Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) poisoning due to consumption of contaminated humanitarian relief food: Uganda, March–April 2019 Children have smaller bodies, so any given amount of plant hits them harder.

The dose is impossible to judge. Poison levels vary widely between datura species, plant parts and seasons, and leaves or seeds from two plants in the same yard can differ in strength. Nobody can measure out a “safe” amount for a high. An earlier experience without serious trouble says little about the next dose, and body size, age, other medicines and a full or empty stomach all change how hard the same amount lands. Because the gut is slowed, the poison can keep being absorbed for many hours, so effects may worsen well after the person thought the worst had passed.

The deaths themselves come mainly from three things. The heart can race or beat irregularly until it fails. Body temperature can climb dangerously. Seizures and breathing problems can follow in severe cases, and muscle breakdown from overheating and agitation can damage the kidneys.

Overheating kills because sweating is the body’s main way of shedding heat, and datura switches it off. Heat from muscle activity and agitation has nowhere to go. Very high body temperature damages the brain, muscles and other organs, which is why cooling is an urgent part of treatment.

In one fatal case, a 35-year-old traveller had severe stomach pain, lost consciousness and died from a disordered heart rhythm caused by datura.3PubMed. Forensic features of a fatal Datura poisoning case during a robbery In another death, poisoning was first mistaken for an ordinary heart attack until datura seeds were found in the stomach.4PubMed. Fatal Datura poisoning: identification of atropine and scopolamine by high performance liquid chromatography/photodiode array/mass spectrometry

Signs and Symptoms of Datura Poisoning

Datura’s poisons, atropine and scopolamine, block a chemical messenger that runs automatic functions like sweating, saliva, digestion and heart rate.5Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies. MECHANISM OF TOXICITY AND MICROSCOPICAL TESTS FOR Datura HERB In effect, the body’s “rest and digest” signals are switched off.

The body signs are:

Doctors remember the pattern with a rhyme: hot as a hare, dry as a bone, red as a beet, blind as a bat, mad as a hatter. Each phrase matches fever, dry skin, flushing, wide pupils and delirium. Several of these together after possible plant contact is a strong warning, though no single sign proves datura.

Hallucinations, agitation, confusion and delirium are common.12PubMed Central. Toxic traditions: Unveiling the psychiatric and neurological dangers of datura poisoning A person may drift between drowsiness and bursts of agitation and not answer questions sensibly.13PubMed Central. Anticholinergic delirium following Datura stramonium ingestion: Implications for the Internet age Symptoms start fast: at a wedding where food was contaminated, 50 of 54 guests had symptoms within a few hours of eating.14PubMed Central. Psychiatric aspects of mass datura poisoning

A young child may be unusually flushed, irritable and hot without sweating. The person often won’t remember what they ate or took, and the signs can be mistaken for a fever or a psychiatric episode.

Dry skin helps doctors tell datura apart from stimulant drugs, which usually cause sweating.15PubMed Central. Datura Poisoning in Trinidad: A Case Report

Very high temperature, a heartbeat that stays racing or turns irregular, and seizures mean life is in danger. Fainting, trouble breathing, or being unable to wake the person properly also call for emergency services immediately. Even without those signs, any mix of body and mind symptoms after possible plant contact deserves medical assessment, because the picture can change over hours.

What to Do if Someone Ate Datura

Call emergency services or poison control immediately, even if the person seems fine. Symptoms can build over a few hours after eating,16PubMed Central. Psychiatric aspects of mass datura poisoning17PubMed Central. Oleander and Datura Poisoning: An Update Hospital treatment can therefore still help many hours after swallowing.

Overheating and heart rhythm problems can arrive without warning, and a confused person can’t judge their own condition. Poison control lines are free and can advise even if you’re unsure what was eaten.

Tell the call handler who ate the plant, their age and rough weight, and how long ago it happened, since these shape the advice you get. Describe what was eaten (leaves, seeds, flower tea or a soaked drink) and roughly how much. Mention any symptoms you can already see, such as flushing, wide pupils, confusion or hot dry skin.

While you wait, stay with the person. A confused or hallucinating person can wander into a road, fall down stairs or hurt themselves. Keep them somewhere cool and safe, remove sharp objects and anything hot, and keep the room calm and quietly lit, since noise and bright light can worsen agitation. If they feel hot, loosen heavy clothing, but don’t use an ice bath unless emergency staff tell you to. Don’t give food, drinks or anything to make them vomit unless told to.

Bag a leaf, flower or seed pod. Take the bagged plant or a clear photo of the whole plant, including flowers and seed pods, to the hospital, along with any leftover tea, food or drink, sealed and labeled. Routine tests may not reveal datura, so what you tell staff about the exposure carries real weight in their decisions.

How Hospitals Treat Datura Poisoning

On arrival, staff first check airway, breathing, heart rate and temperature, because these can fail quickly. A heart monitor is usually attached so any dangerous rhythm is spotted at once, and a drip is placed for fluids and medicines. Doctors look for the typical pattern of hot dry skin and wide pupils, and your history about the plant helps them settle on the diagnosis.

Treatment is mostly supportive: watching breathing, heart and temperature while the poison wears off.18Medical Reports. Datura stramonium poisoning in Eastern Nepal: A case series and review of clinical presentation and management Activated charcoal may be given to soak up poison still in the gut.19PubMed Central. Oleander and Datura Poisoning: An Update Seizures are controlled with sedating medicine such as diazepam, given through a drip.20PubMed Central. Datura stramonium seed ingestion leading to unintentional poisoning in a 3-year-old Ethiopian toddler: case report Sedatives also calm the person, lower heat production and protect against injury. Cooling measures such as fans, cool fluids and cooling blankets are used when temperature is high. Doctors usually try to avoid physical restraint alone, since struggling raises temperature and strains the muscles.

An antidote, physostigmine, can reverse the effect on the brain; in Taiwan, people who got it cleared confusion sooner.21PubMed. Datura and Brugmansia plants related antimuscarinic toxicity: an analysis of poisoning cases reported to the Taiwan poison control center It works by restoring the chemical messenger the plant blocks, but it can itself cause seizures or slow the heart, so doctors weigh it carefully. It is generally considered for severe agitation or delirium, not for mild cases that settle with sedation and watching. It is given under close monitoring in hospital and is not something to look for or attempt at home.

In one severe case, a patient needed a breathing tube, cooling and treatment to protect the kidneys from muscle breakdown.22PubMed Central. Acute poisoning due to ingestion of Datura stramonium – a case report That patient came off the breathing machine 36 hours after taking datura.23PubMed Central. Acute poisoning due to ingestion of Datura stramonium – a case report A 3-year-old who swallowed seeds improved over 24 hours and went home after 48 hours.24PubMed Central. Datura stramonium seed ingestion leading to unintentional poisoning in a 3-year-old Ethiopian toddler: case report

Families can expect several hours to a day or two of monitoring, often in intensive care for children. The person may be restrained or sedated for their own safety. Confusion may linger after the body signs settle, and someone who took it on purpose may be offered a mental health assessment before going home.

Which Parts of Datura Are Most Poisonous

All parts of the plant contain the poisons.25PubMed. Determination of tropane alkaloids atropine and scopolamine by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in plant organs of Datura species Leaves are the richest part, followed by flowers.26Industrial Crops and Products. Annual Datura accessions as source of alkaloids, oil and protein under Mediterranean conditions Seeds are also highly poisonous.27Journal of Agricultural Sciences (Belgrade). The impact of nitrogen fertilization on the alkaloid content and growth traits of Datura (Datura stramonium L.) Young plants carry the most in their stems and leaves,28PubMed. Distribution of hyoscyamine and scopolamine in Datura stramonium and strength rises in warm summers and drops in cool, wet ones.29Industrial Crops and Products. Annual Datura accessions as source of alkaloids, oil and protein under Mediterranean conditions

There is no part that can be treated as harmless, including roots and stems. Dried or cooked plant material is still poisonous, because drying and heat do not remove these poisons.

Angel’s trumpet is a close relative that is often confused with datura. Datura usually has upright or outward-facing flowers and spiny seed pods, while angel’s trumpet has hanging flowers and smooth pods. Both carry the same poisons and cause the same illness, and teas made from either flower have sent people to hospital.

If you pull the plant, wear gloves. Wash your hands before touching your eyes, since sap can widen pupils. Bag seed pods before they split open.

How People Get Poisoned by Accident

Accidental poisoning most often comes from datura seeds mixing into harvested crops, sometimes sickening many people at once.30PubMed. Datura stramonium – A Dangerous Weed and Alternative Drug of Abuse: An Overview of Poisoning Cases in 21st Century Datura grows as a weed in grain and bean fields, and its seeds can be harvested along with the crop. Once ground into flour or mixed into cooked dishes, the seeds are hard to see, so many people can be affected from one batch. Children’s curiosity and home remedies are other routes.31PubMed. Datura stramonium – A Dangerous Weed and Alternative Drug of Abuse: An Overview of Poisoning Cases in 21st Century

Young datura leaves look almost identical to edible black nightshade greens,32PubMed Central. Datura Poisoning in a Family – A Tale of Mistaken Identity so someone picking wild greens may collect both without noticing. Anyone unsure of a plant’s identity should not eat it, and should check with an experienced local forager or plant expert first. Cooking does not make a wrongly identified plant safe.

To protect children and pets, remove datura from yards and play areas, and teach children never to eat seeds or berries from garden plants. Dogs and livestock can be poisoned the same way. Keep any collected pods out of reach until disposal.

Teenagers seeking a high have been severely poisoned after eating several hundred seeds.33PubMed. Teenagers with Jimson weed (Datura stramonium) poisoning A 14-year-old became feverish and disoriented after drinking a water extract soaked for a week.34Journal of Pharmacology and Clinical Toxicology. Datura stramonium Consumption Causing Severe Anticholinergic Toxicity in an Adolescent Male: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Is Datura Legal to Grow

Jimsonweed, a common datura species, isn’t listed under the US Controlled Substances Act,35Office of Justice Programs. Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) but New Jersey, Connecticut and Tennessee have laws controlling it.36Office of Justice Programs. Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) Some states and towns ban growing datura.37Wisconsin Horticulture. Datura Check local rules before planting it, and remove it if children visit.

Rules differ by state, county and town, so the same plant can be fine in one place and banned in the next. Your local agricultural extension office or city hall can tell you whether datura is restricted where you live.