Pharmacological Potency and Phytochemistry of Datura metel: A Mini Review

Abstract

Plants have been traditionally used to cure illnesses through every age. The use of plants to develop medicines is not new to human race. Among the wide variety of plants, some are edible while others can be used superficially. Still there are others that tend to be poisonous. One such plant is Datura metel; belonging to family Solanaceae. Despite its widespread nature, this plant treats a variety of ailments such as catarrh, psoriasis, fever, asthma, bronchitis, skin diseases, digestive, cardiac and other neurological disorders. This mini-review aims to highlight the phytochemistry, traditional uses and pharmacological potential of Datura metel based on the published literature. Studies reveal that the Datura metel owes its healing potency to the presence of phytochemicals such as baimantuoluoline A, ophiobolin A, daturaolone, daturglycosides, datumetine and withanolides. These phytochemicals impart characteristic anti-oxidant, analgesic, anti-pyretic, contraceptive, antimicrobial, anticancer, insecticidal, antiinflammatory, neurological and antidiabetic efficacy to the plant making it a suitable candidate for potentially effective therapeutic agent.