A review of Dhatura as Poison and Kamala Patra as Antidote

Dhatura plant has been noted for intoxicating, narcotic properties, they produce temporary insensibility (stupefying effects) in ordinary doses. Dhatura (Datura metel) is cerebrotoxic, Deleriant poison which is also classified as Upavisha in Ayurveda. Review Article Wairagade et al.; JPRI, 33(64B): 382-390, 2021; Article no.JPRI.71278 383 In Ayurvedic literature according to Basavrajeeyam under the heading of Vish-Prativishani, Chincha Rasa and Kamal Patra churna has been described to be possessing antidote action which may act by some way to counter toxicity of Dhatura. It is necessary to verify the efficacy of these antidotes on scientific parameters so that it can be useful in emergencies.


INTRODUCTION
Agada Tantra [1] is one of the incredible branches of indigenous science derived from the Ayurveda. In ancient era this science was considered as the one of the advanced faculty worldwide.
The branch of Ayurveda which deals with the toxicity of various snakes, spiders, insects, rats etc. animals and its treatments. The word 'Gad' means poison and the antidote used is called as 'Agada'.
According to modern sciences, Toxicology [2] is the science which deals with the study of poison with reference to sources properties, mode of action symptoms which they product lethal dose, nature of fatal results, treatment of their detection estimation & autopsy findings.

Dhatura [3] (Datura metel)
is cerebrotoxic, deleriant poison which is also classified as Upavisha in Ayurveda. It has been used as medicine, narcotics and poison since long ago. Medicinally it is useful internally as well as externally.
Dhatura [4] is used as antispasmodic in asthma, whooping cough, rheumatic swelling of the joints, lumbago, sciatica, neuralgia, painful tumors, notes, glandular inflammations such as mumps etc. and many more conditions. Due to gastric irritation vomiting often occurs immediately after taking the crushed seeds. A bitter taste, dryness of mouth and throat, burning pain in the stomach dysphagia, headache and difficulty in talking are the first symptoms that are complained of. These are followed by giddiness, staggering gait, in co-ordination of the muscles peculiar flushed appearance of the face, dry hot skin with a rise in temperature, photophobia, and dilated pupils with loss of accommodation for near vision, red & injected conjunctivae, urinary retention & drowsiness.
Sometimes, a scarlatinal rash of exofoliation of the skin is seen over the most of body and the temperature is raised very high. The pulse is full and bounding but later becomes weak, irregular and intermittent. The patient now becomes restless markedly excited and delirious. Delirium is a pear character. He is silent or mutters indistinct and inaudible words but usually he is noisy, tries to run away from his bed, picks at the bed clothes tries to pull imaginary threads from the tip at his fingers and is subject to dreadful hallucinations of sight & hearing sensorium is clouded.
In fatal cases drowsiness passes into stupor convulsions and coma. Death occurs usually from respiratory failure. In some cases insensibility occurs almost immediately after the poison is administered either in solution, or in very fine powder.

Various poisons have been described in
Ayurveda along with their antidotes. These antidotes are readily available in the nature. Mode of action of these antidotes is not clearly mentioned in texts.
In Ayurvedic literature, Chincha Rasa and Kamal Patra churna has been described to be possessing antidote action which may act by some way to counter toxicity of Dhatura.
Kamal (Nilumbo nuciphera) is a beautiful aquatic plant with wide range of medicinal usage. It is Madhura Tikta Rasatmak and Shita Virya hence reduces Pitta Dosha.
Agadtantra [7] word made up of three different words and Agad means which destroys visha.
In Modern Medicine Agadtantra is named as Toxicology.
Toxicology is the science dealing with properties, actions, toxicity, fatal dose, detection and estimation of the results of toxicological analysis and treatment of poisons. Forensic toxicology deals with the medical and legal aspects of the harmful effects of chemicals on human beings.

Visha (poison)-
The Substance immediately after entering into the body causes the vitiation of healthy Dhatus or killing of the healthy person is defined as Visha.

According to Modern-
A substance which when administered, inhaled or ingested is capable of acting deleteriously on the human body.
A poison is commonly defined as a substance which when administered, inhaled or swallowed is capable of acting deleteriously on the body [4].
Any substance which injected, inhaled or absorbed or when applied to injected or developed within the body may cause damage to structure or disturbance of function. (American medical Dictionary).

Dhatura:
Dhatura is classified in Upavisha Varga. It has five types viz. Sweta, Nila, Krishna, Lohita, and Pita. Krishna or black Dhatura is considered as best amongst all.

Classification:
According to Ayurveda-Upavisha [8] According to Modern Science-Vegetable Neurotoxic, Cerebral Delirient Poison, Deliriant poison [2] Introduction: Dhatura is morphologically classified as a Kshupa (shrub), widely found all over India. Fruits have thorns over it. It is classified according to the colour of the flowers. All the varieties of it possess same properties but Krishna Dhatura is considered more effective. Leaves, Flowers, roots, seeds are used for medicinal purpose.

Types -
According to Raja Nighantu [9] it is classified in 5 types according to flowers.

Habitat:
It is a native Mexico, found growing in western Himalayas, the hilly regions of the western parts of Deccan peninsula and a few other places in India. These plants are found growing commonly in waste places throughout India, Kashmir to Malabar.
Datura metel is a genus of poisonous herbs shrubs or small trees distributed throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world, reaching up to height of 3 -4 ft.
The whole plantleaves, seeds and roots, dried leaves and the dried ripe seeds and fruit.

Therapeutic use:
Dhatura is useful internally as well as externally. The leaves, flowers, seeds & roots have great medicinal value. The paste of its roots mashed is cow's urine or the juice of leaves is applied externally to alleviate edema and pain in sciatica, mumps, lumbago neuralgia etc.
 The mustard oil medicated with the pulp of Dhatura seed is used in the cracked feet.  In alopecia the juice of leaves is rubbed on the affected area of the skin.  The oil of seeds is effective in scabies.  The pessary of the pulp of Dhatura effectively reduces the pains in hemorrhoids.  Seeds are used to treat dandruff and lice.  Internally, Dhatura dries up the mucous secretions in the respiratory tract and is a bronchodilator as well. Hence it is beneficial in bronchial asthma and cough.  In rabid dog bites the mixture of roots of Bohervia diffusa and Dhatura in 12:1 proportion is given along with milk.
 Dhatura is beneficial in fever to relieve the sensation of cold and chills, Diarrhea and dysentery.  The leaves made into cigarettes are smoked to relieve asthmatic attacks.  Leaves are also used in treatment of Parkinsonism.  Dhatura is administered in form of pills, tablets tinctures and extracts  Dhatura in ointment form containing lanolin yellow wax and petroleum is employed in the treatment of hemorrhoids.  The leaves are applied boils sores and fish bite and the juice of the flower are used for earache.

D's of Dhatura-
The important symptoms and signs can be summarized under 9 Ds (i.e. Dhatura symptoms) as follows.

Description:
The roots of Nelumbo nucifera are planted in the soil of the pond or river bottom, while the leaves float on top of the water surface. The flowers are usually found on thick stems rising several centimeters above the water. The plant normally grows up to a height of about 150 cm and a horizontal spread of up to 3 meters, but some unverified reports place the height as high as over 5 meters. The leaves may be as large as 60 cm in diameter, while the showy flowers can be up to 20 cm in diameter.
Researchers report that the lotus has the remarkable ability to regulate the temperature of its flowers to within a narrow range just as humans and other warm blooded animals do. The traditional Sacred Lotus is distantly related to Nymphaea caerulea, and possesses similar chemistry. Both Nymphaea caerulea and Nelumbo nucifera contain the alkaloids nuciferine and aporphine.

Habitat and Distribution:
Since it is an aquatic plant, grows in the mud of shallow ponds (water) lagoons, marshes, to flooded fields in damp conditions. It is found throughout India and is native to parts of the Middle East, Asia, and Australia.

Propagation:
It is propagated by seeds and rhizomes in muddy water.

Pharmacognostic Features:
A large good looking aquatic herb (kshupa) growing up to a height of 19 feet, leaves are shiny, roundish having a diameter of 1 to 3 feet in diameter; flowers are big, single, white to pink in colour, solitary having diameter of 4 to 10 inch and flower stalk is 3 to 6 feet in length; Stamens are many ripe carpels 10 mm long, ovoid glabrous; Seeds are ½ inch long, round and dark brown in colour; Rhizomes firmly anchored in the mud beneath the water surface, pocketed with air tunnels.

Effects on gastrointestinal system [15]-
The Methanolic extract of Nelumbo nucifera a shows significant inhibitor, activity against castor oil induced deduced diarrhea & PGF, induced entero polling in rats. It also shows significant reduction of gastro intestinal motility in rats.
Nuciferine is known to cause dopamine receptor blockage while atherosperminine shows diphenyl hydantoin is the only activity common to both of the compound.
Hypoglycemic Activity [19] -Methanolic extract of the rhizomes has been found to possess significant hypoglycemic activity on streptozotocin induced diabetic rats.
Miscellaneous activities-Nelumbo nucifera is used in piles as demulcent, beneficial in Dysentery & chronic dyspepsia. It is also used as Diuretic.

Contraindication -
No contraindications with Lotus are documented.

Toxicity -
No toxic effects have been reported.

Drug interactions -
No drug interactions are reported.

DISCUSSION
Dhatura is used as in asthma, whooping cough, rheumatic swelling of the joints lumbago, sciatica, neuralgia, painful tumors, notes, glandular inflammations such as mumps etc. and many more conditions. This plant has been noted for intoxicating, narcotic properties, they produce temporary insensibility (stupefying effects) in ordinary doses.

Constituents -Main chemical constituent of
Dhatura is Dhaturaine which includes hyoscine, hyoscyamine and atropine. All these are Alkaloids. Alkaloids are Complex substances with nitrogenous base and consist in all the plants. Generally alkaloids converted into salts when combines with acids.

Mechanism of Action:
They block the acetyl choline receptors and thus produce sympathomimetic or parasympatholytic actions (anti cholinergic actions). Dhatura leaves contain toxic alkaloid dhaturine, mucilage, albumin and ash 17 p.c. with poattassium niatrate 25%. Dhatura seeds consists dhaturine, resine, mucilage proteins, malic acid, scopolamine and ash 3 p.c. the ratio of hyoscyamine and hyoscine is 2:1. It also consist Atropine. Atropine stimulates central nervous system specially motor area which is responsible for body incardination but the over dosing of Atropine causes restlessness, Confusion, irrelevant talk. Dhatura is consists around 10 such alkaloids.
According to Ayurvedic references and antidote properties of Kamal Patra can be discussed as follows: Antipyretic property hence Hyperthermia in Dhatura toxicity can be prevented. 5. Vitamins C in Kamal Patra is antioxidant which improves circulation hence it may prevent cardiac failure due to Dhatura toxicity. 6. As well as Kamal Patra contain antioxident flavonoids QC-3-Glc and QC-3-Cln which also improves antioxidant properties. 7. Carbohydrate improves blood glucose level by which the body energy gets increases. Therefore it may helps to prevent weakness, fatigue due to intoxication.

CONCLUSION
Dhatura plant possesses wide range of utility viz. medicine, narcotics, poison and antidote in medical sciences. Dhatura is neurotoxic cerebral deliriant poison which is also classified as Upavisha in Ayurveda with '9 Ds' toxic effects. The active principle is dhaturine containing hyoscine, hyocymine and atropine. It blocks the acetyl choline receptors and thus produces sympathomimetic or parasympatholytic actions (anti cholinergic actions).
According to Ayurvedic literatures and also on the basis of analytical study Kamal Patra shows antidote properties like -Hyperthermia caused due to toxicity gets significantly reduced; Duration of appearance of convulsions gets increased; Duration of dilatation of pupil gets significantly increased.
Thus from above study we can conclude that Kamal Patra can resists toxic effects of Dhatura up to some extent.

NOTE:
The study highlights the efficacy of "ayurveda" which is an ancient tradition, used in India. This ancient concept should be carefully evaluated in the light of modern medical science and can be utilized partially if found suitable.

CONSENT AND ETHICAL APPROVAL
It is not applicable.