In article <1993Jan27.010801.14907@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> mcarney@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Michael Carney) writes:

   >I'm looking for anyone who has any information concerning the use
   > of Jimson weed for it's halucinagenic properties.  I have been able
   > to find references to it's use by Native Americans in history as
   > well as this century, as recently as the 60s.  From what I've been
   > able to find, this is a powerful drug, so I would like to recieve
   > some information from someone who has actually used this drug before

Jimson weed is Datura Stramonium, a member of the nightshade family.
The active chemicals in Jimson include atropine, scopolamine, and
hyoscamine.  The buzz from this family of psychotropic plants is more
like a dilerium with very strong hallucinations than anything else.
Jimson is very poisonous, the buzz couldn't really be described as
recreational, and I wouldn't try it, myself.  If you decide to
experiment with it, be *extremely* careful, because just a little too
much could kill you.  I have tried smoking a small amount of Datura
Inoxia, and the buzz is interesting, but not overly pleasant.  It has
been reported that Datura Inoxia has been added to marijuana for extra
effects, but I don't have any firsthand knowledge of this combination,
since I personally wouldn't even *think* of doing any *illegal* drugs. ;-)
It's possible that Datura Stramonium could be used in the same way,
but I haven't heard or read of anyone trying this.


-Alan Harder                
 ash@math.ams.org
 
 The opinions expressed above are not the opinions of the American
 Mathematical Society.  They aren't even my opinions, really, I'm just
 borrowing them.

=============================================================================

Newsgroups: alt.psychoactives
From: harris@scorch.apana.org.au (Michael Brown)
Subject: Re: Datura Stramonium
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 1993 15:17:09 GMT
Message-ID: <1993Apr6.151709.466@scorch.apana.org.au>

ez026264@hamlet.ucdavis.edu (The God of Apathy) writes:

|Does anybody know where to get Datura Stramonium seeds or live plants?
|DS is commonly called jimsonweed or thorn apple and it is a native weed to CA,  but I don't know where to find it.


    Actually Datura is one psychoactive that you may be wiser to  have
    nothing   to   do   with.   I   shall   quote   a   passage   from
    Psychedelic_Drugs_Reconsidered   ,   a  generally  pro-psychedelic
    text.  

Anticholinergenic deliriants.

    These drugs are not usually regarded  as  psychedelic  ,  although
    they have a great deal in  common  historically,  culturally,  and
    pharmacologically  with  other drugs taken for their mind-altering
    powers. They are called anticholinergic  because  they  block  the
    action  f  acetylcholine  ,  a  nerve  transmitter  substance that
    controlls  the  contraction  of skeletal muscles and also plays an
    important  role  in  the  chemistry  of the brain. They are called
    deliriants  because their effects at high doses include incoherent
    speach,   disorientation,  delusions,  an  halucinations  ,  often
    followed by depression and amnesia for the period of intoxication.
    The   classical  anticholinergic  delirients  are  the  belladonna
    alkaloids:

    These  tropane  derivatives,  the  most powerfull and important of
    which is scopolamine, are found  in  differing  concentrations  in
    various plants of the Nightshade Family or Solanaceae, among  them
    deadly  nightshade  (Atropa   belladona),   mandrake   (Mandragora
    officinarum), black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger), jimsonweed (Datura
    stramonium, and over twenty other species of henbane  and  datura.
    Of all psychoactive drugs , only alcohol has been in  use  for  so
    long over such a large part of the world. For thousands  of  years
    on all inhabited continents the belladonna alkaloids have  been  a
    tool   of  shamans  and  sorcerers,  who  take  advantage  of  the
    sensations they evok to leave their bodies, soar through the  air,
    or  change into an animal in their imagination.  They also produce
    toxic  organic  symptoms  like headache, dry throat, loss of motor
    control, blurred vision , and greatly increased heart rate and and
    body temperature; death from paralysis and respiratory may occur.

    The belladonna alkaloids are so terrifying  and  incapacitating  -
    the physical effects often so unpleasant, and the loss of  contact
    with  ordinary  reality so complete - that they are used only with
    great caution and rarely  for  pleasure.  For  the  same  reasons,
    ironically, they are not regarded as a drug abuse problem and  can
    be bought in small doses on perscription  or  in  over-the-counter
    sedatives and pills for asthma, colds, and motion sickness.


END QUOTE

    And Yes Folks , it seems that  if  you  know  the  the  right  car
    sickness tablets to buy , you can take a fair few and you'll  trip
    out quite severly . I know of several people that used to swear by
    it , untill one got caught by  police  doing  bizzare  things  and
    totaly out  of  controll in Newcastle. He was  arested and when he
    went to court he could not convice the  judge  that  car  sickness
    tablets  could  do  that  , so he was done for a more serious drug
    offence. 
-- 
 .-------------------------------------------------------------------------.
 |             Michael  Brown  at Craggenmoore Public Access Unix          |
 | Data: (049) 611695      harris@scorch.apana.org.au                      |
 |"Though the names may change each face retains the mask it wore."        |
 `--------------------------------------------- Peter Gabriel -------------'

===========================================================================

Newsgroups: alt.psychoactives
From: dacc@cmp-rt.music.uiuc.edu (Andrew C. Crowell)
Subject: Re: Datura Stramonium
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1993 00:26:45 GMT
Message-ID: 

In article <1993Apr13.193317.1@summer.chem.su.oz.au> morgan_j@summer.chem.su.oz.au writes:
>The following was clipped from 'The Sydney Morning Herald', 13/4/93
>
>EXPERTS TRUMPET DANGERS OF SHRUB
>
>Brisbane: Chewing the leaves of the ornamental shrub known as Angel's Trumpet
>to get a cheap "high" was a dangerous pastime that could kill, authorities
>warned yesterday.
>
[large section of article deleted]

>
>Angel's Trumpet is a tall shrub with coarse foliage which owes its ornamental
>value to its white 20 cm long trumpet shaped flowers. In garden books it is
>listed as datura arborea but has recently been reclassified as species
>brugmansia.
>
>One authoritative volume stresses that revision of the name be noted so the
>plant is not bought by mistake.
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>While the advice concerning the dangerous properties of datura is probably
>worth heeding, there are some amusing hysterical overstatements.

Mmmmmaybe. _Brugmansia_ spp. are related to _Datura_, true...but the
"tree Daturas" are not quite the same as far as chemical makeup as what we
all know as Datura. Brugmansias, as a whole group, are _significantly_
more potent (having a higher and somewhat different alkaloid makeup) than
Daturas of any species. Even Schultes and Hofmann, in _Plants_of_the_Gods_,
treat these as two very different plants, with their own separate sections
in the book.
	Incidentially, Schultes and Hofmann also note that neither
_Brugmansia_arborea_ nor _Datura_arborea_ is the correct classification
of this plant. Its proper taxonomic identification is _Brugmansia_aurea_,
which is the most widespread of the Brugmansias in the Andes, where they
are native.
	Yes, I'd say this would be some hysterical overstatements if this
were an article on Datura, also. But this is Brugmansia we're dealing
with here...a very different plant. There's also been deaths from it in
the USA in the tropical regions (Florida, and such) because of people
treating it lightly like they might _Datura_stramonium_. It's not a plant
for casual play, in my experience and opinion.

D.A.C. Crowell
Computer Music Project/School of Music
University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
(dacc@cmp-rt.music.uiuc.edu)

=============================================================================

From: Charlie Ksir 
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 1994 15:44:12 -0600
Subject: Re: jimson weed

>Jimson Weed.
>What is it, how is it used, has it been a drug of abuse,

Originally shortened from Jamestown weed, Datura stramonium, but probably
also used to refer to other species of Datura.  These contain
anticholinergic (specifically antimuscarinic) agents:  atropine,
scopolamine, and hyoscyamine.  Long history of abuse, though certainly not
something most people would enjoy doing very often.  Produces a kind of
delerium, also dry mouth, elevated temperature.  Can be fatal, but I don't
know how many deaths in Texas.  I don't think it's broken out separately in
the DAWN reports on emergency room/medical examiner "mentions".  My
impression is that both use and mortality would probably be isolated.

.... Charlie Ksir                             The opinions herein are my own,
.... University of Wyoming             so leave my employer alone.

=============================================================================

From: Mark Farone 
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 1994 17:17:03 +0000 (U)
Subject: Re: jimson weed

_Datura stramonium_, also known as jimsonweed or thornapple naturally grows in
the eastern part of the North American continent.

_Datura meteloides_, aka "sacred datura" comes from the western part, and has
documented historical use as part of sacred ceremonies in several Native
American rituals.

They are a part of the nightshade family, which also includes tobacco,
tomatoes, hot peppers, potatoes, eggplants, etc.

The main active ingredient is scopolamine (hyosine), and is considered to be a
deliriant. Scopolamine is sometimes found in OTC cold remedies to help clear
sinuses.

The highest amount of scopolamine is found in the seeds, less in leaves and
flowers, and even less in roots. However, the amount of scopolamine varies
significantly from plant to plant, probably due to the environmental conditions
it was exposed to during its growth. It causes delirium and can be very toxic
at even moderate doses.

The plant matter can be infused into a tea, ground into a paste and rubbed
topically onto the skin, smoked, or eaten.

The physical effects include severe and often uncomfortable dizziness, parched
mouth and throat, increase in heart pressure and heart rate, painful urination,
etc. A student reported to me a long term negative effects on the eyes' ability
to focus from one use of smoked leaves, reversing itself after 8 months. The
effects can last anywhere from 12-48 hours after entering the bloodstream.

Subjective effects include severe visual distortions and hallucinations,
amnesia of the experience, and a complete break with reality during use. Users
are often quite violent.

_Datura stramonium_ is one heck of an ugly looking thing, too. It is hairy, has
 funnel shaped flowers whose sections taper to thorny, gangly points, and one
heck of a stink.  _Datura stramonium_ gets small round "fruit" with thorns
sticking out of it at all angles. All in all, very much unlike a tomato.
_Datura meteloides_ is somewhat easier on the eyes.

I don't believe the chemical causes any permanant physical problems, in and of
itself.  Of course, please note that the drug can cause death, which is a very
serious permanant physical problem. Most emergency room cases or overdoses are
due to the inconsistency of the drug between plant parts and between plants.

Although I've not encountered many people who have used this drug (less than
10), I have yet to find someone who is interested in repeating the experience,
and several have landed themselves in the E/R ward due to their violent
behavior or other physical accidents related to their delirium.

Don't know about deaths in Texas, but you may want to contact DAWN (Drug Abuse
Warning Network?) who manage to keep vital statistics on E/R cases and deaths
related to specific chemicals.

Mark Farone
Mark_Farone@sfa.ufl.edu

=============================================================================

From: Thomas Ashcraft <72632.1427@CompuServe.COM>
Newsgroups: alt.psychoactives
Subject: Cutivator's Report: Daturas
Date: 28 Sep 1994 22:58:31 GMT
Message-ID: <36csen$co7$1@mhadf.production.compuserve.com>

Cultivator's Report: Datura

I've been working with different Daturas (stramoniums and inoxias) 
for about ten years. Here are a couple of things I've found.  
Cultivating the plant is a good way to get to know its properties. 
This is probably true for all botanicals. Datura reveals itself over
time. It is not necessarily a pleasant plant in personality but 
having it around energizes the household. 

Observe and note. Note its companion bugs. Establish communications 
with its beetles. The plant needs its beetles so try not to disrupt 
their symbiosis too much. Be respectful of their own relationship.

Note everything. Sit with the plant. Get on plant time. Listen in 
plant language. Photosynthesize together. Stream together.        

Here is one way to "intake" it that is safer than other methods.  
Grow it in pots. When it flowers in the evening bring the potted 
plant indoors and let its fragrance fill the room. Breathe it in. 
Sometimes this makes for a strong experience. You have to have a 
certain sort of mind to accomodate the experience comfortably but as
one cultivates a relationship with Datura this kind of mind develops
naturally. 

Then when the wild black dog appears, looks you in the eyes, and 

-- 
Thomas Ashcraft / Mopus, Chink, and Oof