Flos Daturae (Yangjinhua)

Naming
Yang Jin Hua (Flos Daturae)-Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica)

Origin
The dry flower of Datura metel L. of family solanaceae.

Location
Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces and so on in China.

Harvest
Collected from April to November.

The actual smell and taste
Light smell, astringent and bitter taste.

Best quality
No calyces, large flower, thick quality, regularity, yellowish-brown and with nice smell.

Processing
Dried in the sun or low temperature drying, unprocessed.

Property
Pungent, warm, toxic; lung and liver meridians entered.

Actions
Relieve cough and dyspnea, alleviate pain, stop spasm.

Indications
A. Cough and dyspnea

With strong actions of relieving cough and dyspnea, it is indicated for cough and dyspnea without phlegm or less phlegm. It is often indicated when other herbs have not good action. It is suitable to treat cold cough and dyspnea. It can be used singly in powder, or its dry flower can be sliced and rolled for smoking, or combined with other herbs.

B. Various pain syndromes

It has good action of alleviating pain for most place of body. It can be singly indicated for kinds of pain, such as chest and abdomen pain, wind-damp arthralgia pain, traumatic injury pain. Large dose of this herb has anesthetic action, so it can be used as narcotic in ancient time. For instance, it is combined with Radix Aconiti (Chuanwu), Cao Wu, Rhizoma Curcumae Longae (Jianghuang), and so on in Zheng Gu Ma Yao Fang from from Yi Zong Jin Jian.

C. Epilepsy, Infantile Convulsion

It is indicated for epilepsy and chronic infantile convulsions with its action of stopping spasm. It is combined with wind-extinguishing, spasm-stopping herbs and phlegm-resolving herbs, such as Quan Xie, Rhizoma Gastrodiae (Tianma), Rhizoma Arisaematis (Tiannanxing).

Dosage and Administrations
Orally take in pills or powder, 0.3~0.6 g. Make smoke for smoking less than l.5g one day. Take proper dose for external application by washing or spreading with powder.

Cautions
It is toxic, so its dosage should be controlled. It is contraindicated for wind-cold contraction and heat-phlegm cough and dyspnea, glaucoma, hypertension and tachycardia. It should be used with cautions for the pregnant women or weakling people.