Jimsonweed
Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium, Solanaceae)
English: thorn apple, jimsonweed, jimsonjade
French: stramoine officinale
The jimsonweed grows on Ibiza and Mallorca, is rather poisonous and has no traditional uses in the Balearics. Where it comes from, is unclear - India or North America. It has antispasmodic effects and is sometimes used in special cigarettes against asthma. This must not be done without a specialist who can avoid overdoses.
The seeds are sometimes used as a hallucinogen, the hallucinations often not to be distinguished from reality. But it is difficult to find the correct dose; this is why sometimes deaths occur. Therefore it is strongly advised not to use jimsonweed outside its cultural context (for example among certain Natives of North Americas South West).
In homoeopathy jimsonweed is used against the hallucinations of schizophrenic people.
Of similar properties is the downy thorn-apple (Datura inoxia, also called "moonflower"), which lives in a naturalized status on Mallorca and sometimes can be found as an ornamental plant on Ibiza. In a dose smaller than the hallucinogenic one it serves as a relaxant plant.
