Downy Thorn-Apple

Downy thorn-apple (Datura metel) is native to the Americas and invasive to many tropical regions. The poisonous herb D. metel is considered invasive to many tropical regions. Although toxic, it is a popular traditional medicine and is commonly harvested from the wild for local use, and sold in markets. It has been cultivated in Sout East Asia, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Filipina, and Indonesia. Commonly, it is used as a pesticide constituent and planted as an ornamental plant in the home garden.

Kecubung (Indonesia), Yang jin hua (Chinese), Stramoine métel (French), Metel-stechapfel (German), Kala-dhatura (India), Hime-togarasi (Japanese), Kecubong (Malay), Talong punay (Tagalog-Philippines).

The species is drought tolerant but does best in full sun and rich and high humus content. Downy thorn-apple is locally abundant in waste places, roadsides, brushwood, open grassland, teak forest, and on river banks, from sea level up to 2,200 m altitude. Prefers a rich light sandy soil, well-drained soil in a fully opened or partially shaded position, and grows best in a fertile calcareous soil and pH range from neutral to very alkaline.

• Leaves - single, ovate to oblong-ovate, 9 to 18 cm long, with inequilateral base, pointed tip, and irregularly and shallowly lobed margins.
• Flowers - white or nearly purple, axillary and solitary, with a large ovary.
• Fruits - rounded capsules, green, about 3.5 cm in diameter and covered with stout, short spines, dehiscing at the apex when ripe forming an irregular suture.
• Seeds - numerous, closely packed, nearly smooth, and pale brown.

Propagated through seeds, best pre-soaked for 12 hours in warm water before sowing.

Atropine, hyoscyamine, scopolamine, hoisin, tannins, nicotine, alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, saponins, terpenoids, phytosterol, phenols.

• It is anticholinergics, used to provide symptomatic relief of various gastrointestinal disorders.
• It is used in ophthalmology to dilate pupils, as an analgesic, and to prevent motion sickness, dilates the pupils, and is used in eye surgery.
• The whole plant, but especially the leaves and seed, is abortifacient, anesthetic, anodyne, antiasthmatic, antispasmodic, antitussive, bronchodilator, hallucinogenic, hypnotic, mydriatic. It is also used n the treatment of asthma, epilepsy, hysteria, insanity, heart diseases, fever with catarrh, diarrhea, skin diseases, etc.
• Parts of the plant are used in various preparations for sedating patients with mental disorders.
• The dried flowers and leaves are inhaled with preparation as a treatment for a range of conditions, especially asthma, and Parkinson's Disease.
• A poultice of the crushed leaves is used on conditions such as inflammatory swellings and rheumatic joints in order to relieve pain.
• The leaves are also applied externally to treat conditions such as hemorrhoids, boils, sores, skin diseases, rheumatism, headache, toothache, and earache.
• The seed oil is used for massaging painful body parts.

• Cuci bersih daun kecubung segar dengan air mengalir.
• Keringkan daun selama 2 malam pada suhu kamar. Setelah itu, dilanjutkan dengan pengeringan menggunakan oven pada suhu 50 °C hingga kering.
• Haluskan daun yang telah kering hingga menjadi simplisia serbuk.
• Simpan simplisia di wadah/plastik kedap udara.