POTENTIAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIONS OF DHATURA SAFED (DATURA METEL L.): AS A DEADLY POISON AND AS A DRUG: AN OVERVIEW

Plants have great potential for the treatment and management of many diseases and have been used in many countries for the treatment of different diseased conditions. The medicinal value of plants lies in their bioactive phytochemical constituents that produce definite physiological actions in living beings. Many medicinal plants contain some chemical constituents that may cause harmful effects to humans if consumed in large quantities. Alkaloids occurring in large amounts could make plants poisonous despite its medicinal effects. Datura metel L., a member of the family Solanaceae, is known as Jimson weed and in Arabic known as "Jaozmasel", is one of the well-known folk medicinal herbs with wide application, Chemical investigation of which revealed its components as alkaloids, carbohydrates, and proteins among which alkaloids including scopolamine, hyoscyamine and atropine are the main active ingredients that exhibits various activities, such as anti-asthmatic, sedative, analgesic and anti-rheumatoidal effects. Besides of medicinal usage, D. metel is one of the most abused plants all over the world because of its unrestricted availability, especially in Africa, Southeast Asia and in India, mainly for spiritual or religious purposes with negative reports are far more than other psychoactive substances. Its over-dose or abuse produced poisonous effects similar to anti-cholinergic, delirium, mydriasis, mental confusion, psychosis, and even violent behaviors. In this review, various interesting findings of the medicinal value of Datura metel has been mentioned, apart from its toxicity and ornamental importance to prove it as a potent chemotherapeutic agent. Thus concerted efforts in the relevant areas are still necessary to establish rational and to prevent sustainable exploitation of the world's biodiversity.