Thorn Apple, Datura stramonium

Edible Use: The leaves, flowers, and stems are all edible. Medicinal Use: The leaves of this herb have many medicinal uses and can be taken in food, or the distilled oil can be used. Digestive and Respiratory Tonic: Sweet marjoram is an effective tonic for the digestive and respiratory tracts. It is an excellent treatment for problems related to these areas. Menstrual Aid: The herb is capable of inducing menstruation and should never be used in significant amounts by pregnant women. Used in medicinal quantities, it calms the uterus and relieves pain and cramping. It balances the hormones and relieves the symptoms of menopause and pre-menstrual syndrome. It helps bring on menstruation when delayed. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: People with PCOS and its related fertility problems may find relief with sweet marjoram. By balancing the hormones, it is able to relieve the symptoms of this disease and is said to help women to conceive. Promotes Breast Milk Production: Nursing mothers report an increase in breast milk production when eating marjoram daily. Diabetes: People with type II diabetes can add sweet marjoram and rosemary to their daily diet. The combination aids the use of insulin in the body and improves blood sugar management.

Muscle Spasms, Tension Headaches, and

Over-Used Muscles: Marjoram essential oil has a calming effect on muscles and tension headaches. Some people say that simply breathing in the oil is enough to relieve a tension headache. Two or three drops added to a vaporizer or bath water is enough. It is also very effective for relieving muscle spasms and pain when diluted and used as a massage oil. Lowers Blood Pressure: Sweet marjoram essential oil lowers blood pressure through breathing in the scent of marjoram essential oil. The relaxation of the body and release of stress helps lower the blood pressure naturally. How to Use Marjoram Medicinally: As little as one tablespoon of dried marjoram, sprinkled on food, taken in capsules or used as a tea is enough to derive health benefits. For fresh herbs, add a quarter cup of chopped marjoram on your salads or other foods. Both the fresh and dried herb are beneficial. Warning: Do not use in high doses if pregnant, as it can bring on menstruation.

Thorn Apple is a member of the Solanaceae (Nightshade) Family and must be used with care. Like other family members, it can be highly beneficial for medicinal purposes when used carefully in very small doses, and it can be deadly when used improperly. It is also called jimsonweed, moon flower, and devil’s snare. It grows wild across the warmer parts of the United States. It is often found in farm yards and along roadsides.

Identification: These 2 to 5-foot-tall annual bushes are foul-smelling, freely branching, and erect. The plant grows from a long, thick, and fibrous root. Stems are stout, leafy, smooth, and pale yellow-green. They form many forks and branches, with a leaf and flower at each fork. Leaves are 3 to 8 inches (7.5 cm to 20 cm) long, soft, irregularly undulated and toothed. The surface is smooth, with a darker green upper surface and a light green underside.

White, creamy, or violet trumpet-shaped flowers appear throughout the summer. Flowers are approximately 2 to 4 inches (5 cm to 10 cm) long on short stems growing from the branch forks or the leaf axils. The calyx is swollen at the base, long and tubular and surrounded with five sharp teeth. The corolla is only partially open and has prominent ribs. The flowers open at night. Seeds are egg-shaped capsules, approximately 1 to 3 inches (2.5 cm to 7.5 cm) in diameter and either bald or covered with spines. When mature, it splits into four chambers, each containing many small black seeds. Medicinal Use: The leaves and seeds are used in medicine. Traditionally the leaves are smoked. Today, some people use a Thorn Apple Seed Salve for external use and have discontinued using the herb as a smoke or extract because of its toxic effects. It is similar to Belladonna (deadly nightshade) in its constituents. Asthma: Thorn apple leaves have long been smoked in cigarette or pipe form, mixed with tobacco, for the treatment of asthma. I do not recommend this method since over-consumption causes delirium and hallucinations and even death. Mullein is a much better choice.

Burns, Wounds, Boils, and Skin Inflamma-

tions: A salve made with thorn apple seeds reduces inflammations in burns and other skin wounds and inflammations. The seeds have pain-relieving and narcotic properties. Whooping Cough and Other Coughs: The narcotic and anti-spasmatic properties of thorn apple seeds are potent and useful in severe cases of whooping cough and muscle spasms.

Muscle Spasms and Parkinson’s Disease:

The tremors of Parkinson’s disease and other muscle spasms respond to the anti-spasmatic properties of the seed extract. Start with the minimum dose and increase it only if necessary. Warning: The plant contains dangerous levels of toxins and has a significant risk of overdose when used without medical supervision. Toxicity can also vary from plant to plant and with the maturity of the plant, so a safe dose one year might be toxic the next year as the plant matures. Use thorn apple only under the supervision of a highly skilled medical professional. Recipes. Thorn Apple Seed Extract: 1/4 teaspoon thorn apple seeds, 1/4 cup 80 proof alcohol. Mix the alcohol and crushed seeds together in a small bottle and cover tightly. Allow the mixture to steep for 2 to 4 weeks. Strain out the seeds and store the extract in a cool, dark place for up to 3 years. Keep out of reach of children and mark it clearly as a poison. Dosing: It is impossible to accurately recommend a dosage since the strength of seeds from each individual plant varies. Start with 1 drop and increase the dosage only as needed to get the desired effects. Watch carefully for symptoms of toxicity. Use only Thorn Apple, Skäpperöd, CC by SA 3.0 under medical supervision. Thorn Apple Oil or Salve (For external use only): You will need 1/4 teaspoon thorn apple seeds, 1/2 cup