The Devils snare (Datura stramonium), is a flowering plant in the family Solonacee.
In Italy this species is present in all regions, from plains to sub-mountainous areas, where it sporadically grows uncultivated, often close to ruins and roadsides.
It 'also known as the devil's weed and grass of witches, these names refer to their narcotic, sedative and hallucinogenic characteristics. It contains the hallucinogenic alkaloids scopolamine and atropine. The use of the Devils snare for this kind of purpose is extremely dangerous as the active dose of hallucinogenic alkaloids is very close to the toxic dose.
The seeds of the flowers are sometimes used together with the leaves to produce a form of a herbal tea.
The plant is high, up to a meter and a half, has white or yellow flowers that look like bluebells. The fruit capsules are covered with spines, which contains black seeds which looks like small beans. Its leaves are smelly and oval-shaped it contains two well-known alkaloids, hyoscyamine and scopolamine (the latter in high concentrations is the most dangerous) that have relaxing and anti-asthmatic properties. The Devils snare has four "heads", that is the root, the stem and the leaves (useful to cure diseases), flowers (which are used to kill enemies with) and the seeds that are the most powerful head.
Flowering takes place between July and October; the flowers are closed during the day and then open up completely at night, giving off an intense and penetrating odor.
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Notes
Peter Lange, Piante mediterranee ed esotiche. Le specie perenni da fiore e da frutto da coltivare in vaso, Red Edizioni, 2007
Arrigo Bettini, Il millepiante mediterraneo. Guida alle piante mediterranee dei vivai d'Italia, Il millepiante 2009