How to Grow Datura and Tips for Pest and Disease Control
We all call Datura the devil's flower; it looks beautiful but is poisonous. Datura is very beautiful to look at, and if you want to grow it at home, what are the cultivation methods? And what should you do if pests and diseases appear during the growing process? It likes warm, humid conditions.
We all call Datura the devil's flower; it looks beautiful but is poisonous. Datura is very beautiful to look at, and if you want to grow it at home, what are the cultivation methods? And what should you do if pests and diseases appear during the growing process?
It likes warmth and humidity; you can sow when temperatures are above 5 degrees, but below 5 degrees it easily dies (after all, it is a tropical plant)!
1. Choosing Potting Soil
It really is not picky about soil at all; ordinary garden soil will do, but loose, fertile, well-draining humus soil is best! Sandy soil also works, but soil that is too heavy and clayey is not very suitable!
2. Watering and Sunlight
It likes humidity and sunlight. Grown in a courtyard, it naturally gets full sun all year round; aside from shading during sowing and seedling raising, it stays in the sun the rest of the time. Just be careful not to let water accumulate when watering. It is also quite drought-tolerant!
If you want it to grow a little better, you can fertilize twice a year; both nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers are fine!
3. Propagation Overview
After July the fruit gradually ripens; wearing gloves, pick the seeds. Sowing in April of the following year is best, though in the south you can sow anytime!
Its seeds germinate very easily, with an optimal germination temperature of around 15°C. After germination it grows very fast, flowering in less than a hundred days!
Cuttage propagation is very simple: just cut a section of healthy branch and insert it into slightly moist sandy soil; keep it warm and shaded and it will sprout in two weeks!
Pest and Disease Protection Tips:
1. Verticillium Wilt
Leaves turn yellow, and in severe cases the plant dies; it gradually worsens! As soon as you see it, you can drench with thiophanate-methyl or carbendazim.
2. Black Spot Disease
Leaves turn light brown, gradually becoming brown; too humid and muggy air makes the plant prone to this disease.
Promptly clear away dead branches and rotten leaves, and spray chlorothalonil when the disease appears.
3. Pests
Aphids can be controlled by spraying omethoate emulsifiable concentrate. For ladybird beetles, if there are only a few you can pick them off, remove the eggs, and when they are larvae spray phoxim emulsion or a mix of chrysanthemum-based insecticide emulsifiable concentrate and deltamethrin.
That is all for the introduction to Datura's seed propagation method. Be careful about pests and diseases that appear during cultivation; if these problems are not dealt with promptly, Datura can easily die.
Growing Datura
Datura, also called mandala, gets its flower name from a Sanskrit transliteration and is a common herbaceous wild plant. Datura is an upright plant, generally about 1 m tall, with a toothed calyx and a funnel-shaped corolla much like a trumpet, so folk also call it the big trumpet flower. This plant originated in tropical rainforests, and its main name comes from Buddhist scriptures, which describe a rain of mandala flowers when the Buddha attained enlightenment. Its original meaning is mandala, meaning transcendent and agreeable, and it is often inscribed on many Buddhist buildings, most prevalently in India, as a rather mysterious motif of Buddhism.
Although Datura sounds very mysterious, what people widely circulate are actually just fabricated legends; in fact it is just a very ordinary flower, native to India, where locals call it mandala. It generally grows in mountain fields and countryside, and as long as it is warm, well ventilated, and in sandy soil, it grows very well. Although regarded as a mysterious flower, it is actually a harmful flower, often appearing in cotton, potato, and vegetable fields, competing with them for nutrients. So in the West Datura is called the flower of death, and it generally blooms near graves and execution grounds, absorbing the breath of death; it is an inauspicious flower, said in legend to bloom by the river of the underworld as the flower leading to hell, so it is also called the flower of the other shore. In fact it is merely a very ordinary flower.
Datura leaves are somewhat egg-shaped, with wavy-toothed outlines along the edges. Unlike many flowers, it has no down; the flower resembles a large morning glory and is very similar in shape to the ??hollyhock??, funnel-shaped, in many colors including white, purple, pink, and so on, quite eye-catching, among which the most precious and rarest is the black Datura, an extremely toxic flower. Datura is actually a plant that is poisonous but also has medicinal value, and its flowers are eye-catching and beautiful, so many people still grow it at home to ward off evil. So how should Datura be cultivated?
Actually Datura is very easy to grow, because its ability to adapt to the environment is strong; as long as it is warm, humid, and sunny, it can survive. In inland areas the common one is white Datura; just plant it in soil rich in humus and it will grow very well. The first step in Datura cultivation is to choose a sunny, fertile spot and sow in spring, generally with seed spacing of about 60 cm; this farming spacing allows good growth. Generally sow about 6 seeds per plant so that some failure to grow is prevented. During the growth and development period, irrigate promptly; once it sprouts, Datura is easy to keep alive and can be grown with minimal care.
For Datura protection, if you are growing it merely as an ornamental or medicinal flower, pay attention to whether Datura suffers pest damage in daily care. If infected, its leaf veins turn yellow, then the leaves begin to yellow overall; this is Verticillium wilt caused by pests or a harsh environment, and chemical control can be used, generally with carbendazim-type fungicides.
Datura Datura stramonium L. Datura Illustrated Guide: How to Grow Datura / How to Propagate Datura
Datura ProfileDatura Datura stramonium L.
Aliases: Drunken Heart Flower, Dog Walnut, Drunken Immortal Peach, Mad Eggplant, South Seas Golden Flower, Mountain Eggplant, Phoenix Eggplant Flower, Korean Morning Glory, Foreign Golden Flower, Maple Eggplant Flower, Ten Thousand Peach Flower, Goat-Intoxicating Flower, Wild Hemp Seed
Classification: Annual herbaceous flower
Family and Genus: Plantae, Angiosperms, Dicotyledons, Solanales, Solanaceae, Datura genus
Full Bloom Period: All four seasons
Datura, also called foreign golden flower, big trumpet flower, mountain eggplant, etc., is native to India, with a flowering period from May to September and a fruiting period from June to October; it likes warm, sunny, well-draining sandy loam. It mostly grows wild in fields, beside ditches, along roadsides, on riverbanks, on hillsides, and in other such places, and mainly harms cotton, beans, tuber crops, vegetables, and so on. The common species in China are three: Datura, downy Datura, and white-flowered Datura; their flowers are all white or slightly tinged with pale yellow-green, single-petaled. Datura is also called mandala, manda, manzha, manda, drunken heart flower, dog walnut, foreign golden flower, maple eggplant flower, ten thousand peach flower, goat-intoxicating flower, foreign golden flower, big trumpet flower, mountain eggplant, etc., and mostly grows wild in fields, beside ditches...
Datura Cultivation Methods and Precautions, An Introduction to Datura
Datura, also called foreign golden flower, big trumpet flower, mountain eggplant, etc., is native to India, with a flowering period from May to September and a fruiting period from June to October; it likes warm, sunny, well-draining sandy loam. It mostly grows wild in fields, beside ditches, along roadsides, on riverbanks, on hillsides, and in other such places, and mainly harms cotton, beans, tuber crops, vegetables, and so on. The common species in China are three: Datura, downy Datura, and white-flowered Datura; their flowers are all white or slightly tinged with pale yellow-green, single-petaled.
Datura, also called mandala, manda, manzha, manda, drunken heart flower, dog walnut, foreign golden flower, maple eggplant flower, ten thousand peach flower, goat-intoxicating flower, foreign golden flower, big trumpet flower, mountain eggplant, etc., mostly grows wild in fields, beside ditches, along roadsides, on riverbanks, on hillsides, and in other such places, and is native to India. Its meaning is translated as round flower, white cluster flower, agreeable flower, pleasing flower, and so on. Datura is native to the tropics and subtropics, and is distributed in every province of China. It likes warm, sunny, well-draining sandy loam. It is widely spread throughout the country. It mainly harms cotton, beans, tuber crops, vegetables, and so on.
Datura (common name); Maple Eggplant Flower (Shanghai); Dog Walnut (Yunnan); Ten Thousand Peach Flower (Fujian); Foreign Golden Flower (Shandong); Wild Hemp Seed, Drunken Heart Flower (Jiangsu); Goat-Intoxicating Flower (Guangdong); Saisihataken (Uyghur language); Shasihadona (Kazakh language); Tumute Zhanggu (Inner Mongolia).
The whole Datura plant is poisonous, with the fruit and especially the seeds being the most toxic, followed by the young leaves. Dried leaves are less toxic than fresh leaves.
Morphological Characteristics of Datura
The Datura stem is thick and upright, with plant height 50-150 cm; the whole plant is smooth and hairless, sometimes with sparse hairs on young leaves.
Leaves are broad ovate, with regular wavy shallow lobes along the edges, and the base is often lopsided. Flowers are solitary in the leaf axils; the corolla is funnel-shaped, 7-10 cm long, with the tube portion pale green and the upper part white; sometimes there are sparse hairs on young leaves. The upper part often branches in a forked pattern. Leaves are alternate, the blade broad ovate, with irregular wavy shallow lobes or sparse teeth along the edges, with long petioles, and sparse short soft hairs on the veins.
The stem is upright and thick, and the main stem often becomes woody. Flowers are solitary in the leaf axils or at branch forks; the calyx is 5-toothed and tubular, and the corolla is funnel-shaped, white to purple. The capsule is upright, with hard prickles on the surface, egg-shaped. Seeds are slightly flattened and kidney-shaped, dark brown.
Datura is a wild upright woody annual herbaceous plant of the Solanaceae family, and in low-latitude regions it can grow into a subshrub, with plant height generally between 50 cm and 200 cm, and the root already woody. Datura has single leaves that are alternate, becoming opposite toward the upper part; the blade is ovate or broad ovate, with a pointed tip, asymmetrical sides at the base, and entire or broken, wavy-serrated edges. Datura's flower buds emerge in the leaf forks, and the flowers are trumpet-shaped, with most flower colors white and lengths of about 4 cm to 10 cm. Datura's fruit is spherical, with prickles on the outer surface; when ripe it splits into 4 valves, and the seeds are broad triangular, flat, and light brown.
Datura is herbaceous or subshrub-like, 0.5-1.5 m tall, with the whole plant nearly smooth or with short soft hairs on young parts. The stem is thick, cylindrical, pale green or tinged with purple, and woody toward the lower part. Leaves are broadly ovate, with a gradually pointed tip, an asymmetrical wedge-shaped base, irregular wavy shallow lobes along the edges, and the lobe tips sharply pointed, sometimes also with wavy teeth; there are 3-5 lateral veins on each side reaching the lobe tips, 8-17 cm long and 4-12 cm wide; the petiole is 3-5 cm long.
Flowers are solitary between branch forks or in leaf axils, upright, with short stalks; the calyx is tubular, 4-5 cm long, with 5 ridges on the tube, slightly sunken inward between the ridges, slightly swollen at the base, tightly enclosing the corolla tube at the top, with 5 shallow lobes, the lobes triangular; after flowering it breaks near the base, and the persistent part enlarges with the fruit and bends outward; the corolla is funnel-shaped, with the lower half tinged green and the upper part white or pale purple, the limb with 5 shallow lobes, the lobes with short pointed tips, 6-10 cm long, and the limb 3-5 cm in diameter; the stamens do not extend beyond the corolla, the filaments about 3 cm long, the anthers about 4 mm long; the ovary is densely covered with soft needle-like hairs, and the style is about 6 cm long. The capsule is upright, egg-shaped, 3-4.5 cm long and 2-4 cm in diameter, with hard needle-like prickles on the surface or sometimes without prickles and nearly smooth, pale yellow when ripe, splitting regularly into 4 valves. Seeds are egg-shaped, slightly flattened, about 4 mm long, black.
Datura's flowering period is June-October, and its fruiting period is July-November. Datura's flowering period is very long; as long as the temperature is suitable it can bloom all year round. Wild-growing Datura flowers between May and September, and its fruit ripens between June and October.
Datura is woody or semi-woody in the tropics, and an annual upright herbaceous plant in temperate regions. Leaves are simple and alternate; flowers are bisexual, with a trumpet-shaped corolla, five-lobed, more or less bilabiate, sometimes double-petaled; stamens 5, all developed, inserted on the corolla tube; carpels 2, 2 locules; axile placentation, ovules numerous. Capsule.
The calyx breaks in a ring near the base when fruiting, with only the base persisting. The stem is thick and upright, and the main stem often becomes woody. Plant height 50-150 cm; the whole plant is smooth and hairless, sometimes with sparse hairs on young leaves. The upper part often branches in a forked pattern. Leaves are alternate, the blade broad ovate, with irregular wavy shallow lobes or sparse teeth along the edges, with long petioles. There are sparse short soft hairs on the veins. Flowers are solitary in the leaf axils or at branch forks; the calyx is 5-toothed and tubular, and the corolla is funnel-shaped, white to purple. The capsule is upright, with hard prickles on the surface, egg-shaped. Seeds are slightly flattened and kidney-shaped, dark brown. Flowers are solitary in the leaf axils; the corolla is funnel-shaped, 7-10 cm long, with the tube portion pale green and the upper part white; those with a purple-tinged corolla are purple-flowered Datura. The flowering period is summer and autumn. Propagated by sowing.
Ecological Habits of Datura
Datura (foreign golden flower) has strong adaptability; it likes warm, humid, sunny environments, fears waterlogging, and is not very strict about soil, so it can be grown in general soil, but soil rich in humus and lime is best. Seeds germinate easily, with an optimal germination temperature of around 15°C and a germination rate of about 40%; from emergence to flowering takes about 60 days; after frost the aboveground part withers, and when the temperature is below 2°C the whole plant dies; the annual growth period is about 200 days. Datura likes a warm, humid climate and sunny places, and requires loose, fertile, well-draining sandy loam. It is mostly cultivated in greenhouses as a flowering ornamental. It is an annual herb, and in low-latitude regions it can grow into a subshrub. It grows in wasteland, dry fields, beside houses, on sunny hillsides, at forest edges, and in grasslands. It often grows on sunny hillside grasslands or beside dwellings.
Datura Cultivation Techniques: Key Cultivation Points
Biological characteristics: It likes a warm, humid climate; seeds begin to germinate at around 5°C; when the temperature is below 2-3°C, the plant dies. It is best cultivated in sunny, loose, fertile, well-draining sandy loam. Avoid continuous cropping. The previous crop should not be a Solanaceae plant.
Cultivation Techniques
1. Site selection and land preparation: Choose sunny, fertile, well-draining land, plow 30 cm before winter, and together with plowing apply 2000 kg per mu of barnyard manure or farmyard manure, then harrow fine and level. After spring begins, plow once more, break up clods, harrow fine and level, and make flat beds 1.5 m wide.
2. Propagation method: Use seed propagation. In early April, on the beds, open holes 3 cm deep at a plant-to-row spacing of 60 cm × 50 cm, sow the seeds in, 5-6 seeds per hole, cover with 1 cm of soil, press lightly, and keep moist. The seeding rate is about 1 kg per mu. If raising seedlings for transplanting, it is suitable to transplant and set out in late May.
Field Management
When seedlings are 10-12 cm tall, thin and fill in the seedlings, leaving 1-2 strong seedlings per hole, and combine with intertillage weeding and one application of human and animal manure water. When seedlings are 33 cm tall, carry out intertillage weeding and topdressing once more, and earth up to prevent lodging. In the early stage of topdressing, mainly use nitrogen fertilizer; in the later stage, apply nitrogen fertilizer together with phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, making the early application light and the later application heavy, which helps increase the total alkaloid content. For seed collection, choose the fruit set on the first branch of the main stem, take out the seeds, wash them clean with water, and dry them in the sun.
Datura Propagation Methods
Datura is commonly propagated by seed.
Seed Propagation
At the end of the flowering period, harvest ripe fruit, take the seeds, and sow in early April.
Propagate by seed, either by direct sowing or by raising seedlings and transplanting. Direct sowing method: carry out from late March to mid-April, with row-to-plant spacing of 43 cm × 33 cm, sowing 6-7 seeds per hole, with a seeding rate of 7.5 kg per 1 hm2. Seedling-raising and transplanting method: in relay-cropped or intercropped fields, or when the previous crop is not yet mature, to make economical use of the land, you can sow and raise seedlings in March, and transplant when the seedlings have 4-6 true leaves in May to early June.
Cuttage Propagation
Take young shoots with buds and insert them into fertile soil.
Datura Disease Control: Datura Verticillium Wilt
Symptoms
On infected plants, the areas between the lateral veins of the leaves turn yellow, then gradually turn brown, and scorch starting from the leaf edges, while the veins remain green; the leaves gradually yellow and wilt from bottom to top. Cutting the diseased stem crosswise, the vascular bundles appear dark brown. In some cases only 1-2 branches are affected. Severely affected plants cannot bear fruit.
Control Methods
1) Carry out crop rotation.
(2) When necessary, before the disease appears, drench with a 600-700 times dilution of 50% thiophanate-methyl or carbendazim wettable powder.
Black Spot Disease
It causes black leaves; the lesions are nearly round, 2-14 mm in diameter, initially light brown, gradually turning gray-brown, and finally brown, with concentric rings. When the air is humid, a pale black mold-like substance grows on the lesions. In severe cases the lesions merge into patches, and local areas die, and it can also harm the capsules. Control methods: In autumn, clean the garden and burn the diseased plant residues to reduce the source of inoculum. You can also spray a 500-600 times dilution of 75% chlorothalonil or a 500 times dilution of compound chlorothalonil in the early stage of the disease.
Tobacco Budworm
The larvae harm Datura's flower buds and flowers, especially the flower buds. The larvae bore into the interior of the flower buds and gnaw on the pistils and stamens, causing the buds and flowers to rot quickly and affecting flower yield.
Green Peach Aphid
It can be controlled with a 1000 times dilution of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate.
Ladybird Beetle
Adults and larvae feed on Datura's leaves; the damaged leaves retain only the veins and upper epidermis, forming many irregular transparent sunken lines that later become brown marks; too much damage causes the leaves to wither.
Control Methods
① Manually catch adults; taking advantage of the adults' false-death habit, hold a basin underneath and tap the plant to make them fall;
② Manually remove egg masses; females lay eggs concentrated in clusters, bright in color, very easy to find and easy to remove;
③ Apply pesticide before the larvae disperse; you can spray with a 1000 times dilution of 50% phoxim emulsion, or a 3000 times dilution of 40% chrysanthemum-based insecticide emulsifiable concentrate, or a 3000 times dilution of 2.5 deltamethrin emulsifiable concentrate.
Datura Variety Classification
Besides herbaceous Datura, there is also woody Datura; woody Datura is in the same family and genus as herbaceous Datura and is generally a shrub or small tree. Unlike herbaceous Datura, the woody Datura flower tube is longer, growing to 20-35 cm, and the flowers droop; it has fragrant fruit that is woody and does not split. Because the flower shape is graceful, like a trumpet, its English name is Angel's Trumpet.
This species includes the three species usually recorded in some literature, and their differences can be arranged in the following key: among these three species, some also treat the latter two as varieties of the former, namely: purple-flowered Datura D. stramonium L. var. tatula Torrey; spineless Datura D. stramonium L. var. inermis (Jacq.) Schinz et Thell. In recent decades, many botanists around the world have conducted comprehensive experimental taxonomic research on the herbaceous species of this genus, proving that white or purple flowers and prickly or spineless fruit surfaces are merely a difference between a pair of dominant and recessive genes; they are genetically unstable and evolutionarily meaningless. In fact, these types are also variable in nature. The author in the Xining area of Qinghai Province, China, likewise saw among many plants with purple flowers and prickly fruit some plants mixed in with pale purple flowers and smooth, spineless fruit surfaces. Therefore these types are naturally one species, taking its earliest name: D. stramonium L.
Common Species
Datura plants are tall, with huge and beautiful flowers, suitable as background material or for wild-style gardens. The genus has about 16 species; commonly cultivated ones also include fragrant-flowered Datura (D. inoxia); red-flowered Datura (D. Sanguinen); white-flowered Datura (D. me-tel), and so on.
The common species in China are three: Datura (D. stramonium L.), downy Datura (D. innoxia Mill.), and white-flowered Datura (D. metel L.); their flowers are all white or slightly tinged with pale yellow-green, single-petaled. In their places of origin there are also green, purple, red, blue, and double-petaled types or varieties.
The whole plant is highly toxic, and its leaves, flowers, and seeds can all be used medicinally. It is pungent in taste and warm in nature, and its medicinal effects are analgesic and anesthetic, and it relieves cough and asthma. It mainly treats cough and reverse qi asthma, sores on the face, rectal prolapse, rheumatism, and traumatic injuries, and can also be used as an anesthetic. The main active ingredient of the mafeisan invented by the famous physician Hua Tuo during the Three Kingdoms period was Datura.
Its fruit is called by folk: he hu er qie.
Species One Introduction
Scientific name: Datura L.
Morphology: In the tropics it is woody or semi-woody, and in temperate regions it is an annual upright herbaceous plant. Leaves are simple and alternate; flowers are bisexual, with a trumpet-shaped corolla, five-lobed, more or less bilabiate, sometimes double-petaled; stamens 5, all developed, inserted on the corolla tube; carpels 2, 2 locules; axile placentation, ovules numerous. Capsule. The calyx breaks in a ring near the base when fruiting, with only the base persisting.
Species: The common species in China are three: Datura (D. stramonium L.), downy Datura (D. innoxia Mill.), and white-flowered Datura (D. metel L.); their flowers are all white or slightly tinged with pale yellow-green, single-petaled.
Species Two Introduction
Scientific name: Datura stramonium L.
Morphology: Annual herb. The stem is thick and upright, generally 50 cm to 1 m tall in temperate regions, and in the tropics it grows into a subshrub up to 2 m tall. Leaves are broad ovate, with a gradually pointed tip, an asymmetrical wedge-shaped base, irregular wavy shallow lobes along the edges, triangular lobes, and sparse short soft hairs on the veins. The calyx is tubular, with 5 ridges, 4-5 cm long; the corolla is funnel-shaped, 6-10 cm long, with the upper part white or slightly purple; the anthers are 3-4 mm long. The capsule is upright, egg-spherical, 3-4 cm long, with hard short prickles of varying lengths, splitting into four valves when ripe. Seeds are black.
Biological characteristics: Annual herb, can grow into a subshrub in low-latitude regions. Grows in wasteland,
dry fields, beside houses, on sunny hillsides, at forest edges, and in grasslands. Flowering period June-October, fruiting period July-November. Seed propagation.
Distribution and growing environment: Widely distributed in temperate to tropical regions worldwide; produced in all provinces and regions of China. Often grows beside villages, roadsides, and grasslands.
Current distribution status in China: Wild in all regions of the country. There is also a small amount of artificial cultivation for medicinal or ornamental use.
Introduction, spread, and problems: Introduced to China as a medicinal plant at the end of the Ming Dynasty, recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica (1593). It is a weed of dry fields, orchards, and nurseries, or invades forest edges, roadsides, and grasslands. The whole plant contains alkaloids and is strongly toxic to humans, mammals, fish, and birds, with the fruit and seeds being the most toxic.
Uses: The leaves, flowers, and seeds used medicinally have the functions of relieving spasms, calming, relieving pain, and anesthetizing; the seed oil can be used to make soap and mixed into paints.
Growing environment: All cultivated, propagated by seed.
Collection and processing: Collect flowers when they first open, collect seeds when old and ripe, and in summer and autumn collect the whole plant for fresh use or dry it in the sun.
Distribution Regions of Datura
Distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, and commonly cultivated in temperate regions; in China's Taiwan, China, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Liaoning, Hebei, and Henan, these provinces and regions often have it wild. Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Sichuan, Shanghai, and Nanjing have more cultivation, and other provinces in Jiangnan and many cities in the north have cultivation.
Datura is native to India. It is currently widely distributed in temperate to tropical regions of the world. It grows in wasteland, dry fields, beside houses, on sunny hillsides, at forest edges, and in grasslands. It is widely spread across all continents; it is distributed in all provinces and regions of China. It often grows beside dwellings, on roadsides, or in grasslands, and is also cultivated for medicinal or ornamental use. The whole plant is toxic! It contains hyoscyamine, is medicinal, and has the functions of relieving spasms, calming, relieving pain, and anesthetizing. The seed oil can be made into soap and mixed into paints.
Production Area Distribution
Datura is widely distributed in temperate to tropical regions of the world, and is produced in all provinces and regions of China. Datura, also called foreign golden flower, big trumpet flower, mountain eggplant, etc., mostly grows wild in fields, beside ditches, along roadsides, on riverbanks, on hillsides, and in other such places, and is native to India.
Datura, also called mandala, manda, manzha, manda, drunken heart flower, dog walnut, foreign golden flower, maple eggplant flower, ten thousand peach flower, goat-intoxicating flower, foreign golden flower, big trumpet flower, mountain eggplant, etc., mostly grows wild in fields, beside ditches, along roadsides, on riverbanks, on hillsides, and in other such places, and is native to India. Its meaning is translated as round flower, white cluster flower, agreeable flower, pleasing flower, and so on. Datura is native to the tropics and subtropics, and is distributed in every province of China. It likes warm, sunny, well-draining sandy loam. It is widely spread throughout the country.
Datura's Effects and Uses: Home Pairing
Different people with different personalities have different decorative styles for their homes. No matter how exquisitely designed a room is, adding some flowers and plants will never feel like overdoing it, because each different type of plant presents a different posture and charm. Flowers and plants full of vitality and spirit only make a room more vivid and lively, and while pleasing the eye, they further inspire our diverse creative inspiration and build our colorful pleasures in life. But in choosing plants, besides the owner's basic preferences, you should also consider whether the plant's temperament matches the style of the home, so as not to clash and defeat the purpose.
If you do not consider Datura's toxicity, Datura is actually also a good choice for home style pairing, because first, Datura has fragrance, and second, Datura is gorgeous and alluring, giving a noble, splendid, uniquely tasteful, and characterful decoration. It also carries a mysterious, holy, and romantic temperament, so Datura suits English or French home styles; in addition, it also suits Chinese classical decor, and especially suits home styles with a pastoral flavor, giving your home a transcendent, aloof-from-the-world, mysterious feeling.
However, growing flowers is not only about reflecting the owner's taste; more importantly, it affects the home environment and the health of family members. After all, Datura is a highly toxic thing that can cause cancer and hallucinations. Therefore, Datura is not suitable for use in home decoration, though it can be planted in the courtyard; just beware of children and passersby accidentally eating it or breathing its fragrance too closely, to avoid poisoning.
Datura's Dietary or Medicinal Value
The medical information and healthy dietary information on Huahua Network are for reference only and cannot be used as a basis for diagnosis or medical treatment. For any health problem, consult professional medical staff, and for the treatment of any disease, follow medical advice.
The ultimate flower-protection mission: loving yourself starts with being practical and following your doctor's advice. When it comes to illness, do not be careless, do not delay, do not give up hope; face it bravely, warm the silent world with love, and tend the flower field in your heart with care.
Medicinal information
[Medicinal parts] The flowers, seeds, leaves and roots are used as medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine names: Yangjinhua (Datura flower), Mantuo Luozhi (Datura seed), Mantuo Luoye (Datura leaf) and Mantuo Luogen (Datura root).
[Harvesting and processing] Yangjinhua: during the full flowering period from late July to late August, pick at 4-5 pm; if it rains, dry at 50-60°C for 4-6 h until dry. Mantuo Luozhi: harvest in summer and autumn when the fruits are ripe; the seeds can also be extracted after sun-drying. Mantuo Luoye: harvest in July-August; use fresh, or sun-dry or oven-dry. Mantuo Luogen: dig up in summer and autumn, wash clean, use fresh or sun-dry.
[Main components] The flowers contain hyoscine, hyoscyamine and atropine.
[Pharmacological effects] Yangjinhua acts on the central nervous system, affects the perception of pain, and interacts with neurotransmitters.
[Nature, flavour and functions] Pungent, warm. Toxic. Calms and relieves cough; anaesthetises and relieves pain; relieves spasm and stops convulsions.
[Indications and usage] Asthma and cough; cold pain in the epigastrium and abdomen; wind-damp impediment pain; epilepsy; infantile convulsions; surgical anaesthesia. Oral use: decocted in water, 0.3-0.5 g, preferably in pills or powders. If smoked as a cigarette in divided doses, the daily amount must not exceed 0.5 g. External use: appropriate amount, decocted in water for washing; or ground into powder and applied as a paste. Oral use should be cautious. Disabled for the weak.
1. For asthma: Datura flowers 2 liang 5 qian, saltpetre 1 qian, Fritillaria cirrhosa 1 liang, prepared Pinellia 8 qian, Eupatorium 6 qian, Tussilago farfara 5 qian. Grind all together into a fine powder, take 1 jin of old ginger, mash and squeeze out the juice, mix the powder evenly with it, store and seal in a lidded teacup, steam over water for 1 hour, take out, mix evenly with 10 liang of cured tobacco shreds, place in a ventilated spot, and air until 70-80% dry (do not dry too much, for fear it will crumble easily), then store in a cigarette tin for later use. Each day smoke it with a dry tobacco pipe or water pipe in the ordinary way. (From Waike Shisan Fang Kao, "Stop-Asthma Smoke")
2. For chronic infantile convulsions: Datura flowers 7 blossoms (weighing one zi), Gastrodia elata 2 qian 5 fen, whole scorpions (fried) 10, Arisaema (prepared), cinnabar and frankincense 2 qian 5 fen each. Grind into powder. Take 5 fen per dose, taken with mint decoction. (Yuyao Yuan Fang)
Uses
The whole Datura plant is toxic, with the seeds being the most toxic. The main components of the flowers are hyoscyamine, scopolamine and a small amount of atropine, and the main component producing the anaesthetic effect is scopolamine. Its action is to relax the muscles and suppress sweat gland secretion, so the ancients named the anaesthetic made from this flower "menghan yao" (knockout drug).
The Song dynasty Bian Que Xin Shu says: "When a person cannot bear the pain of moxa burning, taking this (Datura flower, etc.) makes him unconscious of pain, and it does no harm." Li Shizhen of the Ming dynasty records in Bencao Gangmu: "In August pick this flower, in July pick the hemp flower, dry in the shade, grind in equal parts into powder, take three qian with hot wine; after a short while one becomes drowsy as if drunk. For cutting sores and burning moxa, one should take this first, and then will not feel the pain." Both emphasise its anaesthetic effect. The "Mafeisan" made by Hua Tuo during the Three Kingdoms period also contained Datura flower, and the folk "menghan yao" was also made from it.
Besides its anaesthetic effect, Datura flower also has cough-relieving and asthma-calming effects, and can treat cold-type cough and asthma, scanty phlegm and similar conditions. But whether used as an anaesthetic or to treat cough and asthma, one must strictly follow medical advice, otherwise poisoning will occur.
Modern research
Chemical components
1. Datura metel
The seeds contain hyoscyamine, scopolamine, cycloeucalenol, 31-norlanost-9(11)-enol, 31-norlanost-8-enol, norlanosterol, obtusifoliol, 4α-methylcholest-8-enol, lophenol and citrostadienol.
The seed oil contains oleic acid and linoleic acid [3].
2. Datura innoxia
The seeds contain α- and β-scopodonnine, hyoscyamine, scopolamine, meteloidine, daturadiol, daturaolone and atropine. Lectin I. The seed oil contains linoleic acid and oleic acid.
The seeds of the related plant Datura stramonium contain atropine, hyoscyamine (i.e. scopolamine), hyoscyamine, 31-norcycloartenol, cycloeucalenol, 4α-methylcholest-8-enol, 31-norlanosterol, 31-norlanost-9(11)-enol, obtusifoliol, 4-methyl-7-enecholestanol, citrostadienol, lanost-8-en-3β-ol, cycloartenol, 24-methylenecycloartenol, β-amyrin, daturaolone, daturadiol, and fatty acids, etc.
Medicinal value
Datura flower can be used not only for anaesthesia but also for treating diseases. Its leaves, flowers and seeds can all be used as medicine; the flavour is pungent, the nature warm, and it is highly toxic. The flowers can dispel wind-damp, relieve asthma and stop pain, and can treat convulsions and cold asthma; a decoction for washing treats various wind impediments and cold-damp beriberi. The analgesic effect of the petals is especially good, and they can treat neuralgia and similar conditions. The leaves and seeds can relieve cough and pain. Because Datura flower is highly toxic, the state restricts its sale, and when specially needed it must be used at designated points under a doctor's prescription.
The medicinal components contained in Datura can relax the muscles and suppress sweat gland secretion, so the ancients named the anaesthetic made from this flower "menghan yao". The alkaloids such as hyoscine contained in Datura flowers, roots and fruits have a strong sedative effect, but if the dose used is too large, it will cause mental confusion, clouding of consciousness, hallucinations, coma and paralysis, and other poisoning reactions. It is said that Hua Tuo's anaesthetic prescription Mafeisan contained a component of Datura.
During the Renaissance, beauty-loving Italian women dropped belladonna juice containing hyoscyamine into their eyes to produce pupil dilation, so as to make themselves look more beautiful.
Treatment of poisoning
Poisoning overview
Datura poisoning is caused by mistakenly eating Datura seeds, fruits, leaves or flowers, and its main components are anisodamine, atropine and scopolamine, etc. These components excite the central nervous system, block the M-cholinergic reaction system, and antagonise and paralyse the parasympathetic nerves. The main clinical manifestations are dryness of the mouth and throat, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness, rapid pulse, dilated pupils, delirium and hallucinations, convulsions, etc.; in severe cases, coma and respiratory and circulatory failure follow, leading to death. The Chinese medicine names of Datura are Yangjinhua, Shanjiazi, Zuirencao, Naoyanghua, Tougucao, Labahua, Fengqie or Yemazi. The whole plant is toxic, with the seeds being the most toxic; children can be poisoned after taking 3-8 seeds. Generally, 0.5-2 hours after oral ingestion it is completely absorbed by the oral and gastric mucosa and poisoning symptoms appear.
At the intersection of medicine and poison, Datura flower suddenly appears like a goblin; its excessively bewitching colour attracts the eye and admiration, making it hard for us to distinguish the applause within it -- which is for its medicinal properties, and which bows down to its bewildering power. The gorgeous, dazzling Datura flower is like a leaping flame, presenting a strange spiritual form with its blazing fire. Datura flower is Yangjinhua; the scholar Mr. Li Ling points out that it is the "panacea" of Europe, India and the Arab countries. Datura is also called Fengqiehua, Gouhetao, Wantaoohua, Yemazi, Zuixinhua, Naoyanghua, etc.; it is a wild upright woody herbaceous plant of the Solanaceae family. It is also divided into large-flowered (white-flowered) Datura, red-flowered Datura, purple-flowered Datura and other types. The main components of Datura flower are hyoscyamine, scopolamine and a small amount of atropine, and the main component producing the anaesthetic effect is scopolamine. Besides being used as an anaesthetic and analgesic for surgery, it is also used as an aphrodisiac and to treat epilepsy, snake bites and rabies. In Hugo's L'Homme qui rit, the process of the mad doctor Ursus using Datura flower is described: "He was familiar with the properties and various virtues of the Datura flower; everyone knows that this herb has both yin and yang natures." This at least shows that since ancient Egypt, the yin power of Datura has always found kindred spirits everywhere. There is an Egyptian mural saying that when the ancient Egyptians entertained guests, they often had guests smell Datura flowers and fruits, because Datura flowers and fruits are rich in hallucinogenic properties and can give guests a sense of euphoria.
Toxic parts: the whole plant is toxic, with the fruits, especially the seeds, being the most toxic, followed by the young leaves. Dried leaves are less toxic than fresh leaves.
Toxic components: mainly scopolamine and hyoscyamine; secondly atropine, apoatropine, noratropine, daturine, tigloidine, daturine, skimmianine, 2,6-dihydroxy hyoscyamine, cuscohygrine and 7-hydroxy-3,6-ditigloyloxyhyoscyamine. The total alkaloid content is highest at the end of flowering and drops rapidly when the seeds mature. Hemagglutinin is also isolated from the seeds.
Emergency treatment
1. Wash the stomach with 1:5000 potassium permanganate or 1% tannic acid, then induce catharsis with magnesium sulfate or give an enema.
2. Inject 3% pilocarpine nitrate injection 2-4 ml each time subcutaneously to antagonise the effect of hyoscyamine, once every 15 minutes, until the pupils constrict, the light reflex appears, and the oral mucosa becomes moist. Physostigmine salicylate 1 mg subcutaneously once every 15 minutes may also be used, for several doses.
3. When there is restlessness or convulsions, give sedatives such as tribromide tablets, chlorpromazine, chloral hydrate, phenobarbital, diazepam, etc.
4. Symptomatic and supportive treatment: when there is respiratory depression, give oxygen inhalation and perform artificial respiration; for high fever, use ice bags to cool down, alcohol sponge baths, antipyretics, etc.; for dilated pupils, use 0.1-1% physostigmine salicylate eye drops; in severe cases, hydrocortisone may be given by intravenous drip.
5. Traditional Chinese medicine: mung bean coats 120 g, honeysuckle 60 g, licorice 150 g. Decoct in water and take in several divided doses.
Clinical manifestations
1. Symptoms generally appear 0.5-2 hours after eating; early symptoms are dryness of the mouth and throat, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness, rapid pulse, dilated pupils, dry and flushed skin, fever, etc.
2. 2-6 hours after eating, mental symptoms such as delirium, hallucinations, restlessness, convulsions and disturbance of consciousness may appear.
3. In severe cases, lethargy usually appears at 12-24 hours, with shallow and slow breathing, falling blood pressure, and even shock, coma and respiratory paralysis and other critical signs.
Basis for diagnosis
1. A history of overdose or accidental ingestion of a toxic substance. 2. Sudden onset with obvious central nervous system symptoms, accompanied by special clinical manifestations such as flushed cheeks, dry mucosa and dilated pupils. 3. Datura seeds, leaves or flowers may be found in the gastric lavage. 4. Positive cat-eye mydriasis test and toxicological analysis.
Principles of treatment
1. Induce vomiting, wash the stomach, and induce catharsis. 2. Intravenous fluids and diuresis to accelerate the elimination of the toxic substance. 3. Antidote treatment. 4. Symptomatic and supportive treatment.
Principles of medication
1. For early mild cases of Datura poisoning, physostigmine or alternating physostigmine and pilocarpine may be used. 2. For severe poisoning, intramuscular neostigmine or edrophonium; adrenal corticosteroids should be used early and in sufficient dosage, and symptomatic supportive treatment strengthened. 3. Those with pre-existing heart disease should use neostigmine with caution, to avoid cardiac arrest.
Auxiliary examinations
1. For simple early Datura poisoning, the examination items are mainly limited to category "A"; 2. For patients with unclear diagnosis or in late-stage critical condition, the examination items may include "A", "B" and "C".
Evaluation of therapeutic effect
1. Cured: symptoms and signs disappear, and all examinations are normal. 2. Improved: symptoms and signs improve. 3. Not cured: symptoms and signs show no change.
Expert tips
This disease is mainly caused by eating Datura leaves, seeds or fruits. Datura leaves and seeds have a sweet taste, so they are easily eaten by mistake by young children. Therefore, the toxicity of Datura should be publicised to the public and to children, and this flower should as far as possible not be planted in homes, by villages or in courtyards, nor should Datura be used by oneself to treat illness. Once poisoning occurs, rescue should be carried out promptly. For poisoning of unknown cause in young children, the possibility of this disease should be highly suspected. The medicinal plant Datura.
Related reports
There are many reports about Datura poisoning. Symptoms generally appear half an hour after eating, as early as 20 minutes, and no later than 3 hours; the poisoning dose varies with the route of entry of the toxin, age and state of health. Adults can be poisoned by eating three fruits; children are more sensitive, and only one tenth of the adult amount, no more than one fruit, or 3-4 seeds, can cause poisoning, mostly with acute sudden onset. In children, drowsiness may also occur. External application of Datura leaves can also cause acute systemic poisoning, with symptoms the same as oral ingestion, and symptoms appear faster than with oral ingestion.
All kinds of livestock can be poisoned, with cats being the most sensitive, followed by cattle and horses, while sheep and rabbits have the strongest tolerance. The lethal dose of the above-ground parts of the plant for cattle is 150-300 g, for horses 150-200 g, and for sheep 75-200 g. A horse that eats 1 kg of seeds dies of convulsions the next day. The seeds are especially toxic to ostriches and are also toxic to fish. Recent reports say that poisoning symptoms in sheep include ataxia, spontaneous muscle fibrillations, hyperaesthesia, rapid breathing and reduced water intake.
Clinical manifestations and incubation period: symptoms often appear from half an hour to 1 hour after eating, consisting of inhibition of the parasympathetic nervous system and excitation of the central nervous system, similar to the symptoms of atropine poisoning, with dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness, dry skin, flushing, fever, increased heart rate, deepened breathing, elevated blood pressure, headache, dizziness, restlessness, delirium, auditory and visual hallucinations, clouding of consciousness, inappropriate laughing and crying, muscle twitching, ataxia, or paroxysmal convulsions and spasms. In addition, there may be elevated body temperature, constipation, mydriasis and hyperactive knee reflexes. The above symptoms mostly disappear or basically disappear within 24 hours; in severe cases, after 12-24 hours the patient enters lethargy, spasms, cyanosis, and finally coma and death.
Properties of the traditional Chinese medicine
Medicinal material traits
Trait identification
(1) White Datura seed: the capsule is nearly spherical or oblate, about 3 cm in diameter, with a shallow disc-shaped persistent calyx and a short fruit stalk at the base. The surface is yellow-green, sparsely bearing thick short spines. The pericarp is lignified and splits irregularly into 4 valves when ripe. The seeds are numerous, flat, triangular, about 3 mm wide, light brown. The odour is peculiar, the taste slightly bitter. Toxic.
(2) Datura innoxia seed: the capsule is nearly spherical or ovoid, 3-4 cm in diameter, with the persistent calyx at the base slightly pentagonal, and the spines pointing outward are fine and flexible. The pericarp splits irregularly from the upper part. The seeds are flat and kidney-shaped, about 5 mm long and about 3 mm wide, light brown.
Those with plump fruits, many seeds and ripe are the best.
Pharmacological effects
Mydriatic effect: the infusion of Datura seed has a mydriatic and paralysing effect.
[Processing] Dry in the shade and set aside for use.
[Nature and flavour] Pungent; bitter; warm in nature; toxic
[Meridian entry] Enters the liver and spleen meridians
[Functions and indications] Relieves asthma; dispels wind; relieves pain. Mainly for asthma and cough; convulsions; wind-cold-damp impediment; rectal prolapse; traumatic injuries; sores and boils
[Usage and dosage] Oral use: decocted in water, 0.15-0.3 g; or soaked in wine. External use: appropriate amount, decocted in water for washing; or soaked in wine for applying and rubbing.
[Caution] Sichuan Zhongyao Zhi: contraindicated for those without blood stasis and accumulation and for the weak.
Inheritance in traditional Chinese medicine
Discussions by various schools
1. Fenlei Caoyaoxing: treats traumatic injuries, expels blood stasis, and frees the meridians and collaterals.
2. Guizhou Minjian Fangyao Ji: fumigation to treat toothache.
3. Sichuan Zhongyao Zhi: can dispel wind and overcome dampness, calm asthma and reduce swelling. Treats wind-cold-damp impediment, joint swelling and pain, convulsions and rectal prolapse, traumatic injuries and diarrhoea and dysentery, etc.
Practical supplementary formulas
① For rectal prolapse: Datura flower seeds (with shells) one pair, oak cups sixteen. Mash the above, decoct in water for three to five boils; add Glauber's salt and wash with the hot liquid. (Rumen Shiqin)
② For traumatic injuries: Datura seeds 5 g, soaked in 300 g of wine. Take 15 g each time. (Minjian Changyong Caoyao Huibian)
③ For rheumatic pain: Zuixiantao two, soaked in 500 g of sorghum liquor. Drink the liquor after ten days, once or twice a day, not more than 5 g each time. (Shanghai Changyong Zhongcaoyao)
Clinical application
1. Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: use 1 part Datura seeds and 4 parts Soushanhu root (the root of Rhododendron molle of the Ericaceae), roast dry and grind into powder, make into tablets, 0.3 g per tablet, 1-2 tablets each time, taken 3 times a day. 15 days is one course of treatment, with a 5-7 day interval before giving the second course. During treatment it can reduce joint pain, cause joint swelling to subside, and improve joint movement; it is ineffective for joint rigidity.
2. For mydriasis, infusions of Datura seeds at different concentrations were used and compared with 1% homatropine for observation. Through mydriasis tests on 24 cases, it was proved that Datura seed infusion has mydriatic and cycloplegic effects, but the appearance of the mydriatic effect, the disappearance of the pupillary light reflex and the time of accommodation recovery are all slower than with homatropine; as for the effects on intraocular pressure and the C value of aqueous humour outflow facility, there is no great difference between the two. The recovery time after mydriasis with Datura seed infusion is about half shorter than with atropine. The suitable concentration of the infusion is 50-60%. In addition, a decoction of the whole Datura plant and a solution of Datura extract have been used in cataract couching surgery.
2.1. Decoction: wash 1 jin of the whole Datura plant clean, add 1-1.5 jin of clean water, boil for about 1 hour, filter 3-4 times through 3-4 layers of gauze, concentrate the filtrate to 100 ml, add an appropriate amount of preservative, and dispense into sterilised eye-drop bottles for later use.
2.2. 30% Datura solution (prepared with purified crystalline powder): half an hour before cataract couching surgery, use one of the above two preparations as eye drops, once every 5 minutes, for a total of 4-5 times. After about 20-30 minutes the pupil dilates and becomes fixed, and when it reaches about 7-8 mm in size, the incision can be made and the needle inserted. This drug only has the effect of paralysing the pupillary sphincter muscle, and does not have the effect of exciting the pupillary dilator muscle. During the couching procedure, if the needle touches the iris too much, the pupil of individual patients will constrict slightly, so touching the iris should be avoided as far as possible. The decoction is dark soy-sauce coloured and contains fine particles; if stored too long, large flocculent precipitates easily form; if this liquid is boiled and filtered again, its mydriatic effect is not reduced.
Medication contraindications
1. Oral use should be cautious. Disabled for the weak.
2. Adverse reactions and treatment: reports about Datura poisoning are not uncommon. According to an account of 54 cases, the flowers, leaves, fruits and seeds of Datura can all poison people. Poisoning generally occurs mostly in late autumn (September and October), when the poisoning is mainly from the fruits (seeds); in spring, poisoning patients often mistakenly cook Datura leaves together with wild vegetables and are poisoned. The poisoning amounts from mistaken ingestion are: seeds 2-30 grains, fruits 1/4-10 (the usual poisoning amount is about 3, and there are deaths from taking 5, but also cases of being saved after taking 12), dried flowers 1-30 g; cases of poisoning from leaves are seen only with external application. After poisoning, the time until onset of symptoms ranges from as short as 10 minutes to as long as 3 hours, generally about half an hour to 1 hour. The main clinical manifestations are flushing of the face and skin, restlessness, increased pulse rate, unsteady gait, dizziness, hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, dry mouth, thirst, numbness of the mouth, vomiting, unclear speech, dilated pupils, disappearance of the light reflex, and even high fever, coma, incontinence of urine and faeces, and paroxysmal convulsions, etc. Laboratory tests show that the total white blood cell count is normal or slightly increased, and the neutrophil ratio is mostly above 65%.
To diagnose Datura poisoning, besides asking the history in detail, conducting a careful physical examination and referring to the various clinical manifestations, the cat-eye mydriasis test can also be used (place 1 drop of the patient's urine into a cat's eye; if it is Datura poisoning, the pupil can immediately dilate) to assist the diagnosis.
The emergency treatment of poisoning is the same as for atropine or scopolamine poisoning; folk single remedies include decocting 2 qian of Saposhnikovia divaricata and 2 qian of cassia twig and taking it; decocting 4 liang of raw licorice and taking it; mashing 1-2 liang each of raw licorice and raw mung beans and taking them soaked in boiling water or decocted; and decocting 1 liang of tea leaves into a thick juice, mixing it with half a jin of tofu and taking it in one dose. There is also the method of using cold compresses and cold baths to treat Datura poisoning in children: apply cold wet cloths to the patient's forehead and chest, changing them constantly, until the patient becomes conscious. For more severe poisoning, the cold bath method is used: place the poisoned child in a bathtub and rinse with cold water until the flushing of the skin has completely receded, whereupon the child may gradually become conscious.
The Mandarava of the Datura flower
Most people think that Mandarava and Datura are the same plant, but in fact Datura, Mandarava and Manjusaka are not the same flower. Mandarava and Manjusaka are flowers of the same species but different colours; both are Lycoris, only differing in colour, that is, what people often call the "flower of the other shore". "Maha" in Sanskrit means great, and "hua" means flower; Mandarava is translated as white lotus, while Manjusaka is the red lotus.
Introduction
Flower name, scientific name: white-flowered Lycoris (original Sanskrit names: ma^nda^rava; manda^raka), a variety of red-flowered Lycoris, colour being their only difference; white-flowered Lycoris is Mandarava, and red-flowered Lycoris is Manjusaka, and they are also the "flower of the other shore".
Differences
11The only difference is that Mandarava is white and Manjusaka is red. What they have in common is that when they bloom they have no leaves, and when they have leaves they do not bloom. Flower and leaf never see each other, cherishing each other life after life, longing for each other...
1. Mandarava
White, scientific name white-flowered Lycoris, also called the flower of the other shore, dragon-claw flower, old crow garlic, Lycoris, meaningless grass, garlic-head grass, ghost flower, hell flower, shezi flower, flower of life and death, shanwudu, and "a clap of thunder on level ground".
2. Manjusaka
Red, scientific name red-flowered Lycoris, also called Datura, the flower of the other shore, dragon-claw flower, old crow garlic, Lycoris, meaningless grass, garlic-head grass, ghost flower, hell flower, shezi flower, cockroach flower, flower of life and death, "a clap of thunder on level ground", ghost-raising fire, shanwudu, and Wangchuan.
In fact, the flower of the other shore should specifically refer to the red-flowered Lycoris; it is a bulbous plant, the bulb somewhat resembling a narcissus, and the flower grows from the tip of an empty stem. It is found in many parts of Asia, though it seems the red variety is more common in Japan. Moreover, because this flower has a special smell, somewhat like garlic, insects and mice and the like do not like to come near it. Its colour is like fresh blood, and it is a flower with a very strong eerie atmosphere.
Manjusaka, this beautiful yet sorrowful name comes from the Lotus Sutra, and it is one of the four flowers of the heavenly realm; it is generally believed to be the guiding flower growing by the Sanzu River. In legend, this flower is the guiding flower; its fragrance has magic power, and it can bloom in the seventh lunar month, in great swathes, bright red as blood, filling the earth, and can evoke the memories of the dead from before their death.
Manjusaka is a flower of the dead that grows in graveyards and deeply intoxicates even the dead. It is said that this flower blooms only in the Yellow Springs; red and gorgeous yet tragic, it blooms in a whole patch like blood, and from afar it looks like a carpet spread of blood. And because its red is like fire, it is also described as the "road lit by fire"; people, under the guidance of this flower, head toward the prison of the netherworld.
It is said that this is also the only scenery on the road to the Yellow Springs. When the soul steps onto the Yellow Springs and crosses the Wangchuan, it will forget all that happened before death, and all that once was remains on the other shore, blooming into a bewitchingly beautiful flower. The three days around the spring equinox are called the spring other shore, and those around the autumn equinox the autumn other shore; these are days for visiting graves. Manjusaka blooms during the other-shore period, very punctually, so it is also called the flower of the other shore.
In spring this flower is a bulb, in summer it grows leaves, and in autumn, after the leaves fall, it blooms. So when the flower blooms no leaves are seen, and where there are leaves there must be no flower. Although born from the same root, flower and leaf cannot meet each other in their whole lives, and cannot see each other's appearance. Flower and leaf never see each other, and are forever misaligned life after life. Hence the saying: "The flower of the other shore blooms on the other shore; only the flower is seen, not the leaf; forever misaligned life after life." Mutual longing and mutual cherishing, forever lost to each other. Thus cycling on while flower and leaf never meet, it also carries the meaning of a tragic love that can never reunite.
Cultural background and religious interpretations of the Datura flower
The Ashokaraja Sutra, chapter 7, says: "Mandara is translated as round flower." The Lotus Sutra Guangzhai Shu, chapter 1, says: "Mandarava flower is translated as small white ball flower. Mahamandarava flower is translated as great white ball flower." The Lotus Sutra Xuanzan, chapter 2, says: "Mandarava flower, this is called agreeable, because those who see it are delighted." Huiyuan Yinyi, part 1, says: "Mandarava flower, this is called the flower of delight, also called the variegated flower, also called the soft flower, also called the heavenly marvellous flower."
Mandala, or Mandara, Manda, Manzha, Manda, Sanskrit: mandala. It is freely translated as altar ground, with the original meaning of a complete circular enclosure or "gathering". It refers to the gathering place of all sages and all merits. Offering a mandala is the most perfect and ingenious method for accumulating merit and wisdom; offering the whole universe in the form of a mandala is the fastest of many methods. The mandala is the "cosmic map in the heart" of monks and Tibetans when practising secret rituals in daily life; there are four kinds in total, the so-called "four mandalas as forms", generally mainly circular or square, quite symmetrical, with a central point.
Origin
"Mandala" is a transliteration of Sanskrit, called "jikuo" in Tibetan, that is, the mandala city. Mandala has multiple meanings; as the source symbolising the structure of the universe and world, it is one of the widely used offerings, and is also a miniature model of the varied principal deities and the gathering places of the gods. The meaning of offering a mandala is to fill the three thousand worlds with the most precious treasures of the world and present them to the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
Buddhist scriptures say that when Shakyamuni attained Buddhahood, the earth shook, all the gods praised together, and many sufferings of the three realms of hell, hungry ghosts and animals were at once relieved; heavenly drums sounded together, emitting marvellous sounds, and it rained mandarava flowers, manjusaka flowers, golden flowers, silver flowers, lapis lazuli flowers, treasure flowers, seven-treasure lotus flowers, etc. At this point, Shakyamuni had attained the fruit of the Bodhi path, and so began to teach and take disciples, transmitting the true meaning of the universe that he had realised. Legend says that in the Buddhist land of the Western Paradise, heavenly music often sounds in the air, and the ground is all decorated with gold. There is a very fragrant and beautiful flower called the mandarava flower, which falls continuously from the sky day and night, covering the ground in profusion.
Guang Qunfang Pu quotes the Lotus Sutra: "When the Buddha preached the Dharma, it rained mandarava flowers from the sky." It seems this flower has a bond with Buddhism. Datura is as bewildering as those stories of palace ladies and officialdom. It blooms in August and the fruits are gathered in September. Flower connoisseurs call it an evil guest, probably because the wandering Datura can suddenly grow elsewhere. Bencao Gangmu records in detail the origin of Datura: when the Buddha preached the Dharma, a rain of mandarava flowers fell from the sky; while Daoist secret books record that among the stars of the Big Dipper there is one called the Mandarava Envoy, holding this flower in his hand. The Sanskrit for Datura flower is Mandarava; as for its colour, accounts are very inconsistent.
In Buddhist scriptures, the mandarava flower means agreeable, that is, everyone who sees it feels joy. It contains the spirit of insight into the hidden and the bright, detached enlightenment, and endless transformation. A person with this spirit can become a Mandarava immortal. As a mysterious pattern of Esoteric Buddhism, the mandala shows its complexity. The psychologist Jung saw the mystery in it, saying that, like a mathematical formula symbol, it represents a kind of spiritual order.
Legends
In every pot of black Datura flowers lives a spirit, and they can help you fulfil the wishes in your heart! But they also have a condition of exchange, and that is human blood! As long as you water that black, bewitching Datura flower with your own blood, the spirit in the flower will help you fulfil your wish! It can only be watered with blood, because they love this passionate and deadly feeling!
Datura: a cursed flower growing in the desert; in the great desert, no one who finds Datura can leave safely. Pure and beautiful, with bewitching branches and leaves, highly toxic. No antidote; also called the love flower.
There is a legend: the great desert is a punishment imposed by God because of human desire. All life in the great desert is governed only by the water god at the centre of the desert. Until the water god fell in love with a woman leading her clan to find water, God was enraged and wanted to destroy the water god's soul. The desert flower god Datura, at the cost of entering the human cycle of rebirth with him, begged God for forgiveness. God, moved by her infatuation, only expelled the water god from the heavenly realm. Since then there has been no water in the desert, and Datura also became a cursed flower. Highly toxic in itself.
In China, Datura is called a holy, pure relic of Buddhism; only those born lucky have the chance to see it, and seeing it can bring endless happiness. Because Buddhist practice is about observing the world with a pure heart, walking the red dust with few desires, holding nothing in the hand, and seeing all appearances as empty, so long, long ago this white flower without a pistil was regarded by people as the incarnation of god, symbolising empty heart, no heart, and peace of mind.
In ancient India, the Datura flower was both the door knocker of the gate of desire and the base for constructing grand scenes; it was spread out and became the grand Mandala altar ground, as the "horn of the angel (devil)". But in Western legends, Datura has always been given a terrifying colour.
Legend has it that in ancient Spain, the datura flower was like an indifferent onlooker, often blooming near execution grounds, numbly praying over every soul as life slipped away. The entire plant is highly toxic, and it is said that among ten million people only one may have the chance to see it bloom, so whoever encounters its blooming, their beloved will die an unnatural death.
The flower language of the datura flower
Purple datura: terror.
Blue datura: deceitful affection, false love.
Pink datura: comfort.
Green datura: endless hope.
Black datura: unpredictable darkness, death and a love of wandering displacement. Uninterrupted love and revenge, the lovelessness and vengeance-less-ness of the mortal world, the wounded and scarred heart that endures, the road of no return in life.
Golden datura: respect and love, a born fortunate one, with ceaseless happiness.
White datura: the flower of passion; if swallowed with wine, it will make a person laugh and has an anesthetic effect. It is a flower that blooms in heaven, white and soft; those who see this flower will have evil removed from them.
Red datura: not the lycoris radiata, do not confuse the two. Bleeding, bloody love
(In legend, datura is a flower that exists only in the underworld; it is said the King of the Underworld specially brought it down to the mortal world to commemorate his grandson's reincarnation as a human.) This is incorrect; the underworld has only one flower, namely the lycoris radiata. The white flower of the lycoris radiata blooms on the far shore, that is, heaven, and is named manjusaka (white lycoris); the red flower blooms by the Three-Life Stone at the Wangchuan River, and is named manjusaka (red lycoris).
Tea-colored datura: rationality, wisdom, elegance.
Yellow datura: nobility, power, endless strife and conflict.
Datura flower pictures