Talk:Datura

According to the "Chemognosis" chapter of the book Psychonaut by Peter J. Carroll:

"Now briefly, an exegesis of the magical drugs in common use and their effects: flying ointments are found at a variety of points in magical history and many cultures. The essential ingredients are a grease base, one or more of the poisonous solanum species (Datura, Henbane or Deadly Nightshade and sometimes Aconite or Wolfsbane). The ointment is smeared on the forehead and around the thighs and was occasionally applied internally to the female genitalia using a broom handle, hence the myths. The alkaloids of the solanaceae cause drowsiness and unconsciousness in which hallucinations of flying occur and in which real astral travel is possible. The aconite alkaloids help in the general numbing of the body. All these alkaloids carry a severe risk of fatal poisoning however, and it is unwise to overdo or ingest the mixture. With this type of drug it is preferable to use only sparing amounts and then attempt willed astral travel while asleep rather than comatose."

Some variation of the above could possibly be added to articles about anticholinergic deliriants associated with the occult and witchcraft, the Datura article being one of them. The cited source goes into immense detail about the aforementioned's relevance to psychonautics and can be consulted for further elaboration.

While I don't recommend using the following link to the audio recording as a source for the article, Terence McKenna has spoken about the autonomous entities, shadows or shadow people, and the occult association attributed to Datura use in history: [1].