Angels Trumpet: Benefits, Side Effects and Dosage

Angel’s Trumpet, encompassing species like Brugmansia suaveolens, Datura metel, and Datura stramonium, is a striking ornamental plant known for its trumpet-shaped flowers and powerful bioactive compounds. But behind its beauty lies a complex blend of potential health benefits and serious risks. This comprehensive guide explores the science-backed effects, dangers, and usage considerations for Angel’s Trumpet, empowering readers with both caution and curiosity.

Benefits of Angels Trumpet

Angel’s Trumpet has a long tradition of medicinal use in various cultures, and modern research continues to uncover new pharmacological possibilities. However, these benefits are closely balanced by the plant’s potent toxicity, which cannot be overstated.

Benefit	Plant Part	Key Compound(s)	Source(s)
Muscle Relaxation	Fruit	Daturaolone (triterpene)	1
Antipyretic (Fever Reduction)	Fruit	Daturaolone	1
Gastrointestinal Motility Reduction	Fruit	Daturaolone	1
Pain & Inflammation Relief	Leaf, Flower	Alkaloids, Glycosides	2
Anticancer Potential	Whole Plant	Hyoscyamine (alkaloid)	2
Wound Healing & Antifungal	Leaf	Polar Extracts	2

Table 1: Health-Related Benefits of Angel's Trumpet

Traditional and Modern Uses

Angel’s Trumpet has deep roots in folk medicine, where it has been applied as a remedy for:

• Arthritis, pain, and inflammation
• Sores, wounds, and abscesses
• Skin fungal infections and ulcers
• Menstrual disorders and dysmenorrhea
• Vaginal antiseptic uses

These uses reflect the plant’s diverse phytochemical composition, which includes alkaloids (notably tropane alkaloids like hyoscyamine, atropine, and scopolamine), terpenoids, and glycosides. Notably, the polar extracts of the leaves have shown superior activity in wound healing and antifungal tests compared to non-polar extracts, indicating the importance of extraction method in therapeutic potential 2.

Key Bioactive Compounds

• Daturaolone: Isolated specifically from Datura metel fruits, this amyrin-type triterpenoid has demonstrated significant muscle relaxant, antipyretic (fever-reducing), and gastrointestinal motility-reducing effects in animal studies. Compared to standard pharmaceuticals like atropine, daturaolone offers similar muscle relaxation and GI effects, though its safety profile is only confirmed in animal models up to certain doses 1.
• Hyoscyamine: A tropane alkaloid found in Brugmansia suaveolens and related species, hyoscyamine is credited with antinociceptive (pain-reducing) and even anticancer potential. However, it is extremely potent and is also the chief driver of the plant’s severe toxicity 2.
• Other Alkaloids: The plant is rich in other tropane alkaloids, including atropine and scopolamine, which are well-known for their effects on the nervous system.

Pharmacological Evidence

• Muscle Relaxation and Antispasmodic Effects: Research demonstrates that extracts of Angel’s Trumpet fruits and daturaolone can significantly relax smooth and skeletal muscle in animal models. This effect is dose-dependent and comparable to muscarinic receptor-blocking drugs 1.
• Antipyretic Activity: In animal tests, daturaolone reduced fever with efficacy similar to established antipyretics, achieving up to 84% reduction at higher doses 1.
• Gastrointestinal Benefits: The same compound slows gastrointestinal transit, which could be helpful in diarrhea or other GI motility disorders 1.
• Wound Healing: Certain extracts, especially from the leaves, show improved wound healing and antifungal properties, supporting some traditional topical uses 2.

Cautions on Medical Use

While the pharmacological effects are promising, the therapeutic window is extremely narrow. The same compounds responsible for these benefits can easily cause life-threatening toxicity. Therefore, self-medication or unsupervised use is strongly discouraged.

Side Effects of Angels Trumpet

The allure of Angel’s Trumpet’s medicinal promise is overshadowed by its notorious toxicity. All parts of the plant—flowers, seeds, leaves, and even its nectar—are highly poisonous, with effects that can range from mild discomfort to fatal poisoning.

Side Effect	Symptom/Consequence	Severity	Source(s)
Hallucinations	Visual/auditory changes	Severe	3 4 5 6
Delirium & Psychosis	Agitation, confusion	Severe	3 5 6
Anticholinergic Syndrome	Dry mouth, fever, dilated pupils, memory loss	Severe	3 4 6 7
Paralysis/Convulsions	Flaccid paralysis, seizures	Life-threatening	3 6
Death	Respiratory failure, cardiac arrest	Fatal	4 6
Mydriasis (Pupil Dilation)	Visual disturbance, anisocoria	Moderate	7

Table 2: Major Side Effects and Toxicity of Angel's Trumpet

Understanding Anticholinergic Toxicity

The primary danger of Angel’s Trumpet lies in its tropane alkaloids—hyoscyamine, atropine, and scopolamine. These compounds block acetylcholine receptors in the nervous system, leading to a classic "anticholinergic syndrome". Symptoms develop rapidly after ingestion or even topical exposure and can include:

• Extreme confusion, agitation, and delirium
• Visual and auditory hallucinations
• Persistent memory disturbances and psychosis
• Dilated pupils (mydriasis), blurred vision, dry mouth, and flushed skin
• Elevated body temperature (fever)
• Decreased sweating and urinary retention
• Tachycardia (rapid heart rate)

These symptoms can last for days and may require hospitalization 3 4 5 6.

Case Reports and Clinical Evidence

• Adolescent Poisonings: Multiple reports detail teenagers and young adults experimenting with Angel’s Trumpet for its hallucinogenic effects, resulting in hospitalizations for severe delirium, agitation, and altered consciousness. Sedation and supportive care are often necessary, though most recover with no long-term effects if treated promptly 5.
• Accidental Exposures: Even handling the flowers can cause symptoms. There are documented cases of children developing temporary, severe pupil dilation (mydriasis) and vision disturbances after simple contact with the plant, without ingestion 7.
• Fatal Outcomes: While not the most commonly ingested toxic plant, Angel's Trumpet and its relatives are responsible for a disproportionate number of severe and fatal poisonings worldwide, especially through ingestion of seeds and flowers 6.

Mechanisms and Risks

• Central Nervous System Effects: The potent anticholinergic action leads to central nervous system excitation, hallucinations, and in severe cases, coma or convulsions 3.
• Peripheral Effects: Cardiac arrhythmias, urinary retention, and dangerously high body temperature can develop.
• Vulnerability: Children, adolescents, and individuals with underlying health issues are particularly at risk.

Treatment

• Medical Emergency: Angel’s Trumpet poisoning is a medical emergency. Intravenous physostigmine can reverse life-threatening symptoms, but must be administered by professionals 3.
• Supportive Care: Sedation, restraints, and careful monitoring are often required in clinical settings 5.

Warnings

• Recreational Use: The plant is sometimes abused for its hallucinogenic effects, but this is extremely dangerous and has led to deaths and permanent neurological damage 3 4 6.
• Criminal Use: There are documented cases of the plant being used for malicious purposes, due to its ability to incapacitate 6.

Dosage of Angels Trumpet

Given the razor-thin margin between a pharmacological dose and a toxic dose, dosage recommendations for Angel’s Trumpet are fraught with risk. Most cases in the scientific literature focus on toxicity rather than safe therapeutic dosing.

Dosage Form	Tested Amounts	Safety/Toxicity	Source(s)
Daturaolone (animal studies)	5–50 mg/kg (i.p.)	Safe in animals up to 50 mg/kg	1
Chloroform Extract (animal)	100–1,000 mg/kg	Safe in animals up to 1,000 mg/kg	1
Human Data	Not established	Toxic at unknown, small amounts	3 4 6
Plant Parts (Recreational/Accidental)	Variable (seeds, flowers, leaves)	High risk of severe toxicity at low doses	4 6

Table 3: Dosage and Toxicity Data for Angel's Trumpet

Experimental (Animal) Dosage

• Daturaolone: In animal studies, doses of daturaolone up to 50 mg/kg (injected) did not produce acute toxicity, and the chloroform extract of the fruit was safe up to 1,000 mg/kg. These findings suggest a margin of safety in controlled lab settings, but animal data does not translate directly to humans due to differences in metabolism and sensitivity 1.
• No Human Therapeutic Dose: There are no established, safe therapeutic doses for humans due to the plant’s unpredictable and highly toxic nature.

Real-World Exposure and Overdose

• Accidental Ingestion: Severe poisoning has occurred from as little as one or two flowers or a handful of seeds. The concentration of alkaloids varies widely depending on species, plant part, growing conditions, and even time of day 6.
• Intentional Abuse: Recreational users often have no way to determine a “safe” dose, leading to frequent emergency room visits and occasional fatalities 4 6.

Recommendations

• No Safe Dose for Self-Medication: Given the lack of standardized extracts, unpredictable alkaloid content, and the high risk of severe adverse effects, there is no safe or recommended dosage for Angel’s Trumpet in humans.
• Medical Supervision Only: Any potential therapeutic use must be under strict medical supervision with pharmaceutical-grade compounds, not crude plant material.

Key Points

• Toxicity Trumps Benefit: The risk of accidental poisoning far outweighs any potential benefits in unsupervised use.
• Avoidance is Best: For the general public, avoidance of ingestion or topical use of Angel’s Trumpet is the safest course.

Conclusion

Angel’s Trumpet is a plant of paradox: beautiful and pharmacologically intriguing, yet fraught with serious risk. Here are the main takeaways:

• Potential Benefits: Traditional and experimental uses suggest muscle relaxation, fever reduction, GI motility control, pain relief, wound healing, and anticancer effects, largely based on animal studies and traditional applications 1 2.
• Serious Side Effects: All plant parts are highly toxic, capable of inducing hallucinations, delirium, anticholinergic syndrome, paralysis, and even death. Accidental and recreational poisonings are common and often severe 3 4 5 6 7.
• Dosage Dangers: There is no established safe or effective dose for humans. The margin between a potential therapeutic effect and life-threatening toxicity is vanishingly small 1 3 4 6.
• Medical Emergency: Any suspected poisoning requires immediate medical attention. There is no safe way to self-administer this plant.
• Public Awareness Essential: Education about the dangers of Angel’s Trumpet is crucial for gardeners, parents, and healthcare providers.

In summary: Angel’s Trumpet should be admired for its beauty and studied for its chemistry—but never used without expert medical oversight. The risks far outweigh the potential benefits for non-professional use.