Author: Linné, Family: solanaceae
Synonym: Thornapple
Datura seems to be Ayla's favorite plant, there are more references to it than to any other plant.
However, according to modern authors, datura is not a native of Europe at all, but comes from
Mexico and has been spread throughout the world.
Since it has been introduced in Europe in the 16. century, datura has been used in medicine as well
as for intoxication and as a component of witches' ointments, and by inquisitors to intoxicate their
victims to get 'confessions' out of them more easily.
The original European plant used for the same purposes is belladonna, the deadly nightshade,
whose actions are pretty much the same as datura, but somewhat stronger.
Datura is a very dangerous poisonous plant! Even though MGMH states the dried leaves as not
poisonous, all parts of the plant contain toxic substances, the root 0,23%, leaves 0,38%, flowers
0,61%, fruits 0,66%, and all of them can be deadly!
Datura is still used in modern medicine for the treatment of asthma, in homeopathy also for mental illnesses.
Photo by Robert Potts, California Academy of Sciences
More about datura in MGMH
Text References: Ritual
| CB 2, 24 |
Men's Ritual
He started by pounding whole datura plants between two stones. The difficult part was estimating the quantity and proportion of leaves, stems, and flowers to use. Boiling water was poured over the crushed plants, and the mixture left to steep until the ceremony.
Goov had poured the strong datura tea into the special ceremonial bowl, straining it between his fingers, (...) |
| CB 2, 26 |
Men's Ritual
Mog-ur reached into a small pouch and withdrew a pinch of dried club-moss
spores. Holding his hand over the small torch, he leaned forward and blew,
at the same time he let them drop over the flame. The spores caught fire
and cascaded dramatically around the skull in a magnesium brilliance of
light, in stark contrast to the dark night.
The skull glowed, seemed to come alive, did, to the men whose perceptions
were heightened by the effects of datura. |
| CB 6, 87 |
Ritual for New Cave
When the drink was ready, Iza nodded her head and Goov stepped forward
with a bowl of datura tea prepared the way he usually did for the men,
but this time for the women. (...)
The medicine woman often used the same drug as an anesthetic, painkiller,
or soporific, and she had a different preparation of the datura plant ready
as a sedative for the children. |
| CB 24, 395 |
Clan Gathering
Acolytes moved among the men with bowls of datura tea, and soon they
were moving to the heavy beat. |
| CB 24, 397 |
Clan Gathering
The acolytes had waited while she worked at the roots, each holding
a bowl of long-steeped datura tea. Goov handed the bowl of white liquid
Ayla gave him to Mog-ur, then picked up his bowl and gave it to Ayla as
the other apprentice magicians gave theirs to the medicine woman of their
clans. An exchange in kind and value. |
| CB 28, 454 |
Aside from helping to cook, Ayla's only role would be to make datura for the men since Creb had told her not to make the drink from the roots. |
| CB 28, 455 |
New mog-ur and leader
(...) and Ayla passed out the datura received from Goov, now a mog-ur. |
| MH 27, 436 |
"Later, after the datura and the women's dance, I found it." |
| PP 15, 242 |
She even noticed the large white horn-shaped flowers of a stout plant
with jagged leaves. The members of the Mammoth Hearth she had met called
the unpleasant-smelling plant thorn-apple, because of its spiny green fruit,
but it brought back memories from her childhood. It was datura. Creb and
Iza had both used it, but for different purposes. |
Text References: Healing
| CB 6, 87 |
The medicine woman often used the same drug as an anesthetic, painkiller,
or soporific, and she had a different preparation of the datura plant ready
as a sedative for the children. |
| CB 11, 182 |
Extraction of Creb's Tooth
Creb nodded and swallowed the drink. It's from the same plant I use
to help men with the memories, he thought. But I think I saw Iza boil it;
she makes a decoction rather than an infusion. It's stronger than when
it's steeped. It has many uses. Datura must be a gift from Ursus. He was
beginning to feel the narcotic effects. (...) |
| CB 24, 394 |
Clan Gathering
"I'll have enough milk for them and two more by then. They [the children]
won't want anything tonight, they'll be sleeping. The datura sedative is
all ready." |
| VH 19, 328-329 |
Jondalar's Leg
It was easier to get him to take the datura afterward - as though he
wanted to wash his // mouth of the bitter taste. She was glad she had found
the pain-relieving and sleep-inducing datura near the valley. |
| VH 20, 339-340 |
Jondalar's Leg
He (...) opened his eyes to see Ayla holding a cup of liquid. He swallowed
it, and before long he felt the pain ease and a drowsiness overcome him.
She had given him something that had caused it, // (...)
She had prepared the datura before he even woke up. |
| MH 12, 175 |
Rydag's Heart Attack
What is best to use? Datura, maybe? I don't think so. What about hellebore?
Belladonna? Henbane? Foxglove? Foxglove ... leaves of foxglove. |
| PP 2, 26 |
Dominated by grasses more than five feet tall but ranging up to twelve feet in height - big bulbous bluestem, feather grasses, and tufted fescues - the colorful forb meadows added a variety of flowering and broad-leaved herbs: aster and coltsfoot; yellow, many-petaled elecampane and the big white horns of datura; groundnuts and wild carrots, turnips and cabbages; horseradish, mustard, and small onions; irises.
|
| PP 15, 251-252 |
Roshario's Arm
I'll need something that will make her sleep when the arm is rebroken,
she was thinking. Iza would // use datura. It's strong, but it would be
best for the pain, and it would make her sleep. I have some dried, but
fresh would be best ... wait ... didn't I see some recently? (...)
"I'm going to get some of that thorn-apple I saw on the way here." |
| PP 15, 252 |
When Ayla returned, carrying a pack basket and the datura plants she had washed in the pool, she found a square wooden cooking box, which she decided to examine more closely later, another one filled with water, a hot fire burning in the fireplace with several smooth, rounded stones heating in it, and some small sections of plank. (...)
Using a small bowl, she measured a quantity of water into the cooking box, added several whole datura plants, including the roots, then splashed a few drops of water on the cooking stones. |
| PP 15, 254 |
As she put several stones into the cooking box to start the datura boiling, she looked at the unusual container a little more closely. |
| PP 15, 255 |
Roshario's Arm
Since she was making a poultice to help the bone fracture mend, a little
addition of datura would not hurt, and its numbing quality might help.
(...) She (...) added more hot ones (...) to keep the decoction simmering,
smelling it to check for potency.
When she decided it had reached the proper strength, she scooped out
a bowlful to let it cool, then carried it to Roshario. (...)
"This medicine will both dull the pain and make you sleep," Ayla said,
"but it is very powerful, and it is dangerous. Some people cannot tolerate
this strong a dosage. It will relax your muscles, so I can feel the bones
inside, but you may pass your water, or mess yourself, because those muscles
will also relax. A few people stop breathing. If that happens, you will
die, Roshario." |
| PP 15, 256 |
"Do you think I will die if I drink that?"
"I would not offer it to you if I thought you would die. But you may have unusual dreams. It is used by some, prepared another way, to travel to other worlds, spirit worlds." |
| PP 16, 270 |
Roshario's Arm
Ayla looked at her medicine bag, then decided it would be a good time
to gather some fresh ingredients for a reviving tea to help bring Roshario
out of the datura-induced sleep when she did begin to awaken. |
| PP 40, 683 |
Guban's Leg
Ayla ended up (...) to prepare the datura more quickly (...) But Guban
resisted drinking all that she felt he should, (...) but she wondered if
part of the problem was his doubt whether she could prepare the datura
properly. With help from both Yorga and Jondalar, Ayla set the leg, and
then made a sturdy splint. When it was all over, Guban finally slept. |
|
Abbreviations |
Editions |
| CB |
The Clan of the Cave Bear |
The page numbers refer to the hardcover editions by Crown Publishers, Inc, New York 1980, 1982, 1985, 1990.
Book 1-3 are the Special Collector's Edition, I don't know if the page numbers differ from those of the 'normal' hardcover editions. |
| VH |
The Valley of Horses |
| MH |
The Mammoth Hunters |
| PP |
The Plains of Passage |
| (...) |
omission |
Copyright |
| ... |
original in text |
All book quotes: © Copyright Jean M. Auel
The format and text contents of this site are the property of the author |
| MGMH |
'A Modern Herbal', by Mrs. M. Grieve |
Comments, suggestions, errors, anything else ... emails are welcome!
|
Author: Linné, Family: solanaceae