The moonflower or thorn apple seems delicate and enchanting and has been used in herbal medicine for ages. But wait – there’s more to this bloom than meets the eye. It is toxic and can be deadly.
At first glance, the moonflower may seem fragile and innocent, but a closer look reveals a hidden secret. Some parts of the moonflower can be poisonous if consumed, but don’t let that scare you away. Beneath the warning lies a silver lining: it has hidden health benefits. From soothing muscle aches to aiding sleep, the moonflower holds untapped potential.
Beautiful but poisonous
Babalwa Mpambani, a horticulture scientist serving as the scientific manager for horticulture research at the Dohne Agricultural Development Institute in the Eastern Cape, categorises the moonflower as a weed rather than a crop.
According to Mpambani, Datura stramonium, commonly known as thorn apple, moonflower, devil’s weed or ingqangangqanga in isiXhosa, belongs to the Solanaceae family, which includes tomatoes and potatoes.
“Thorn apple is widely distributed in South Africa and is found in all the provinces especially in disturbed soil, like seasonal river courses, cultivated lands and along roadsides.”
Babalwa Mpambani
She states that commonly, you’d find moonflower in places where there is piggery farming, dry waste ground, and amongst rubble or the ruins of old buildings.
“All members of this genus contain narcotics and are very poisonous, even in small doses.”
Negative impacts on farming
According to Nomaswazi Ntshingila, an intern plant pathologist from the department of agriculture in KwaZulu-Natal, moonflower thrives in warm regions with soils that have good water retention.
They are adaptable and grow in a variety of environmental conditions, including water-stressed conditions, which pose a threat to crop production as the weed develops in the field.
She points out that the invasive and competitive nature of Jimson weed has a detrimental effect on crop development in agricultural fields.
“Climate change and the effects of El Niño are a cause for concern in agricultural systems with invasive weeds, including Datura stramonium as they can withstand and adapt to climate changes.”
Nomaswazi Ntshingila
She adds, “Events of water stress and the unmanaged presence of the Datura stramonium will negatively impact crop production due to competition for nutrients, water, and sunlight.”
Ntshingila stresses that such occurrences could result in heightened crop losses, especially for potatoes, tomatoes, and other crops, depending on the extent of its presence and the environmental conditions conducive to its growth during field crop production.
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Health benefits
“According to literature, thorn apple is a bitter narcotic plant known for its pain-relieving and healing properties. It has a long history of use in herbal medicine, particularly for treating chest complaints such as asthma, cough, tuberculosis, and bronchitis,” says Mpambani.
“It is a very poisonous plant, however, and is subject to legal restrictions in some countries.”
She also adds that moonflower should be used with extreme caution and only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner since all parts of the plant are very poisonous, and the difference between a medicinal dose and a toxic dose is very small.
“Excess doses cause giddiness, dry mouth, hallucinations and coma.”
Don’t try it at home!
Mpambani explains that the plant is utilised internally for treating asthma and Parkinson’s disease. An infusion of the leaves is consumed as a remedy for venereal disease. Moreover, she adds that the leaves can serve as a potent mind-altering drug with sedative properties, as they contain hyoscyamine and atropine.
“There are also traces of scopolamine, a potent cholinergic-blocking hallucinogen, which has been used to calm patients suffering from schizophrenia and similar conditions.”
Mpambani also emphasises that research on this plant has primarily focused on its medicinal properties, with little attention given to its propagation and cultivation, especially in South Africa.
Moonflower’s poisonous nature from roots to flowers has cast a shadow over its benefits. While research has uncovered its medicinal importance, Mpambani advises that Datura stramonium should be processed into herbal or botanical drugs by pharmaceutical industries for various diseases, rather than being used in its natural form due to its lethal effects.
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