Traditionally used for
- Eye health
- Cough & breathing
- Digestion
- Sleep
- Nerves & recovery
- Pain & joints
- Skin
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Heart conditions
- Toxic — professional use only
☯ TCM Properties
Dispels Wind-Damp, relieves cough and dyspnea, relieves spasms and stops pain
Traditional Chinese Uses
Yang Jin Hua is the dried flower of Datura metel (Solanaceae), a pungent, warm, highly toxic herb entering the Lung and Liver channels. Traditionally it warms and quiets the Lung to relieve cough and wheezing in chronic asthma and cough without phlegm-heat, and it stops pain and spasm—used for epigastric and rheumatic pain and, in classical surgery, as an anesthetic. It also settles Wind and convulsions. Because its actives are the anticholinergic tropane alkaloids scopolamine, hyoscyamine, and atropine, the therapeutic dose is minute (roughly 0.3-0.6 g decocted, or 0.1-0.2 g in pills and powders). Overdose causes dry mouth, hot flushed skin, dilated pupils, blurred vision, rapid heartbeat, agitation, and delirium. It is contraindicated in pregnancy, glaucoma, hypertension, tachycardia, and in weak or feverish patients, and is dangerously confused with non-toxic Ling Xiao Hua (Campsis). Use only under strict medical supervision.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Yang Jin Hua is the dried flower of Datura metel L. (Solanaceae), the downy thorn-apple or hindu datura, an erect annual or short-lived perennial herb 0.5 to 1.5 m tall with stout branching stems and broadly ovate, sinuate to entire leaves. The large solitary upward-facing trumpet-shaped flowers are 14 to 20 cm long, white to pale purple or yellow, single or double; the prickly globose capsule splits irregularly to release numerous flattened brown seeds. WARNING: All parts contain the tropane alkaloids hyoscyamine, scopolamine, and atropine and are highly toxic, producing anticholinergic delirium, mydriasis, tachycardia, hyperthermia, and in overdose death; the herb is a restricted drug in China and many countries. In traditional Chinese medicine the flower is acrid, warm, and toxic, entering the Lung and Liver channels; it stops cough and asthma, relieves pain, and calms convulsions, and was historically used as a surgical anesthetic.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| powder | 0.3–0.6 g | — | — | — | ChP 2025. 宜入丸散 — preferably in pills or powder. May also be smoked in divided doses, total not exceeding 1.5 g/day. Contraindicated in pregnancy, in exterior invasion, in phlegm-heat cough and wheezing, and in glaucoma, hypertension and tachycardia. Corrected from a generic 6-15g decoction filler value generated from tcm_category. |
| topical | Appropriate amount | — | — | — | ChP 2025. 外用适量。 |
Evidence Tier
Strong evidence · 1 studyRecorded studies by study design, strongest design at the top. This is a study-design tier only, not a GRADE rating: it does not weigh risk of bias, consistency or precision.
Systematic review / meta-analysis
1
1 verified · 0 unverified
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
0
Other / unclassified
0
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Efficacy of extracts from Datura Metel L. for Psoriasis: a meta-analysis of case series and single-arm studies
Meta-analysis of nine studies totalling 1778 psoriasis patients treated with Datura metel extract preparations in China. Pooled cure rate was 0.48 (95% CI 0.33-0.62) for intravenous therapy and 0.42 (95% CI 0.17-0.68) for oral therapy; pooled effective rate was 0.91 (95% CI 0.84-0.97) intravenously and 0.94 (95% CI 0.88-0.99) orally. The authors stress that every included study was a case series or single-arm study with no control group, and that selection and publication bias very likely inflate these figures. The finding is included because it documents a use of this drug, systemic administration for psoriasis, that is separate from its analgesic, antitussive and anaesthetic indications and from the anticholinergic poisoning literature; it is not evidence of efficacy at the standard of a controlled trial. Systemic dosing of a Datura preparation carries the full tropane alkaloid risk described in the corresponding Datura metel record.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Heart conditions
- Toxic — professional use only
Contraindications
Contraindicated in pregnancy, in glaucoma, in prostatic enlargement or urinary retention, in tachyarrhythmia, and in the elderly or debilitated.
Safety Warnings
- Narrow therapeutic margin; doses are small and precisely specified.
- Additive with other anticholinergic drugs — tricyclic antidepressants, antihistamines, antiparkinsonian agents.
- Impairs vision and alertness; patients must not drive.
⚠ Toxicity Information
Dry mouth, dilated pupils and blurred vision, flushing, urinary retention, tachycardia, then delirium, hallucination, hyperthermia and coma — the classical anticholinergic syndrome.
Historical Texts
Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen
Ming dynasty, 1596This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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