Datura

(Devil’s Trumpet, Moonflower)

TrippyWiki score: 1.2/10

What is datura?

Datura is the most terrifying and dangerous hallucinogen in the world. It is not uncommon for people who take this drug to develop psychosis, paranoia, and other mental problems.

Long-term benefits & side effects

Datura…

Has anti-inflammatory effects
Helps you look at your life from a different perspective
Makes you more creative and open-minded
Increases neuroplasticity
Can help you transcend the fear of death
Works as a pain-killer
Gives you insights into the nature of reality
Acts as a respiratory decongestant
…

Can be lethal even at low doses
Has led to self-harm by many users
Will speed up the onset of schizophrenia if you’re genetically predisposed to it
Can cause HPPD and physical damage if you combine it with other substances (such as alcohol or stimulants)
Might cause you trauma
Can lead to heart problems if you’re predisposed to them
Might lead to drug-induced psychosis if you’re predisposed to it
Can cause seizures
…

How people take datura

Administration

There are 2 main parts of a datura plant that are used for their psychoactive effects, seeds and leaves.

People can either take these orally, smoke it, or use it as a lotion on the skin.

Smoking datura is generally safer than eating its parts.

Dosage

The amount of psychoactive alkaloids varies greatly between different species. Even the same species may contain vastly different amounts.

As little as 15 seeds, or 15-100 grams of leaves, can be a fatal dose.

There are reports of people who took up to 450 seeds and survived but this is extremely dangerous. Even if this dose doesn’t kill you, it will likely cause long-term physical or psychological damage.

If you are going to take datura, never start with a high dose!

Start as low as possible and gradually build your way up to a higher dose.

Safety checklist

Duration

Onset = 20-90 minutes
Come up = 1-2 hours
Peak = 12-24 hours
Comedown = 2-3 hours
After effects = 6-24 hours

You should notice the first effects within 1 hour after you take the psychedelic but in rare cases, people don’t notice any effects for up to 4 hours
You will reach the maximum effect around the 5-hour mark
The whole trip usually lasts for 16-28 hours
At extremely high doses, your trip may last for even longer
If you eat before your trip, the substance will take longer to kick in

What datura feels like

Common short-term effects include:

Reduced pain
Telepathy
Time distortion
Pupil dilation
Weightlessness
Electricity
Confusion
Dry mouth
Nausea, vomiting
Terrifying open-eyed visuals that feel extremely real
Increased body temperature
Increased heart rate
Worse thermoregulation, coldness
Extreme anxiety, paranoia
Vulnerability
Agitation
Amnesia
Blurred vision
Feeling as if someone is touching you

It is extremely common for people on datura to feel like what they are hallucinating is a normal part of this world, just like anything else. In other words, you cannot distinguish between datura hallucinations and what we see in a sober state.

Some users of this drug describe the experience as a waking dream.

The higher dose you take, the more intense these effects will be.

Datura trips are almost never pleasant. If you ever decide to take this drug, be prepared for a terrifying experience.

How to end a bad datura trip

In case you are not ready to face your inner demons, there are a few ways to end a bad trip.

One possible way is to put on music that is familiar to you. Another way is to switch up your location and move from one place to another. This can completely change your train of thought.

In case the trip becomes extremely challenging and there is no one around you to keep you safe, consider ending your trip with a trip killer.

The 2 best options that you have for ending a bad trip are Phenibut and benzodiazepines.

Phenibut is generally safer. The downside is that it can take hours to kick in.

So to end a trip, use benzodiazepines but only do this if you completely have to.

Interactions

Electrolytes
Keeping your electrolytes (mainly sodium, potassium, and magnesium) at a healthy level is absolutely essential if you’re going to take datura.
Vitamins/minerals
Many nutrients, such as Vitamin C, are neuroprotective. In addition to that, fixing your nutrient deficiencies is important for your well-being during the trip.
Herbs
Herbs can help calm you down. Herbal teas (chamomile, lemon balm, valerian root, …) are especially helpful.
Green tea
Tea makes you both more alert and calm at the same time. It also contains neuroprotective antioxidants, such as EGCG.
CBD
CBD has a calming effect.
Weed
People sometimes mix marijuana and datura. Even though you are more likely to have a pleasant experience this way, mixing the two can be extremely dangerous.
Benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, …)
Benzos will end your psychedelic experience within 40 minutes but using this method may cause you side effects in the long-run.
Alcohol
Alcohol minimizes all the potential benefits of a psychedelic experience. It also greatly increases your chance of having a bad trip.
SSRIs or MAOIs
Not only will these antidepressants greatly decrease the intensity of your trip, but they can also lead to long-lasting side effects.
Lithium
Combining psychedelics with lithium significantly increases the risk of seizures and psychosis.
Stimulants
The combination can easily lead to heart problems, even if you’re a healthy individual.
St. John’s Wort
This combination may lead to serotonin syndrome.

Microdosing

Microdosing with datura does have some benefits.

It can, for example, induce sleep and lucid dreaming.

Ancient tribes also used to take low doses of datura to reduce inflammation and stomach pain.

With that said, the toxic compounds in this plant will get stored in your body and they will cause you damage over time.

In addition to that, you would quickly develop tolerance to datura so you would have to wait for at least 4-5 days before taking another microdose.

So if you are interested in microdosing, choose a safer substance, such as ibogaine, LSD, or magic mushrooms.

Different datura species

The most common datura plant is called Datura stramonium. Other species include Datura metel, Datura reburra, Datura wrightii, and approximately 10 others.

These plants can vary greatly in their potency but the effects are extremely similar.

Legality

Datura is legal in most countries of the world for gardening purposes.

In Kansas and New Jersey, the plant is illegal to sell for any purpose.

FAQ

Yes. It takes around 2 weeks to return to the baseline sensitivity.

The alkaloids found in the plant exert their effects by acting as competitive antagonists at muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, primarily muscarinic acetylcholine receptors M1 and M2. Although the precise mechanism is not understood, it’s this inhibition of acetylcholine that leads to delirium, sedation, and intensely realistic hallucinations alongside extremely uncomfortable and dysphoric physical side effects.

The taste of datura seeds and leaves is extremely bitter.

People who value their sanity
Those who suffer from liver damage
People with heart problems
Immature people who are not willing to follow the safety guidelines
People who suffer from psychosis
People who have a familial history of schizophrenia
Those who suffer from HPPD
People who are going through a manic phase of bipolar disorder
If you’re going through extremely challenging times, you can take psychedelics but the trips might be unpleasant, beware of that

This drug can show up in a special test for tropane alkaloids. With that said, this test is rarely used.

The 3 main alkaloids are hyoscyamine, atropine, and scopolamine.

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