Many experts have speculated about Mohamed's mental state and all have agreed that his

symptoms were the same as those of someone who is likely to have done drug abuse. M's own
records of his childhood symptoms such as hearing voices of his ancestors etc. are exact syptoms
of taking some breed of Datura. It was widely used in ancient times for practically all things in life
from puberty rites to disciplining wayward children. An expert shaman or witchdoctor would
know exactly which Brugmansia to use to what extent and to produce which particular results. If
you see below one of the Sanskrit names for Datura is Mahamohi. Since M's real name is not
known it is perhaps the fact that he and probably also his followers indulged in Datura that he got
this name. Which is probably why out of spite he insisted that all Muslims should name atleast
one kid Mohamed. It is same as someone who is always drunk gets the nickname 'bewda' (slang
for drunkard in Mumbai)
and then is stuck with it and is known by it.
SACRED DATURA
In Native American tribes of the southwest, as is often the case with tribes elsewhere, in rites of
passage, a young person coming of age would fast and pray for days in order to purify himself. In
some cases, the initiate might be isolated or left in the wild alone. At the appropriate time, a
Medicine person or tribal spiritual elder that would nominally be called by others than Native
Americans, a Shaman, might accompany the initiate to a holy place, possibly a mountain top or
cave, and a tea would be made from the roots, leaves and even the seeds from the prickly seed pod
of a plant called Sacred Datura. The individual would drink this tea and wait for visions, and the
initiate would definitely have visions.
Besides those sacred rites of passage, Datura, which is refered to in some cultures as la Yerba Del
Diablo, but known to the Chumash people of California, the Mohave, Yuma, Cahuilla, Zuni and
others as toloache from the Aztec toloatizn, "to incline the head" (and the person adminstering
the Datura as a tolachero), has been used to hex and to break hexes, to produce sleep and induce
dreams, and for protection from evil. It has also been used for Divination, to find one's Totem
Animal, to allow one to see ghosts, for communing with birds, for long hunts and strength, for
sharper vision, for sorcery and to increase supernatural powers as in Aushadhis, the awakening of
the supernormal perceptual states through the use of certain drugs and herbs. Like other tropane-
containing plants that have been used historically for so called Flying Ointments, Sacred Datura
has been used in certain rituals related to inducing the ability to fly through eating or drinking
and sometimes an ointment (see). Datura is still widely used in the Caribbean for similar or all of
the reasons as well, and called there "herbe aux sorciers" (herb of the sorcerers) among the
various French speaking islanders. On the English speaking islands, Jamaica for example, those
who practice the spellcraft Obeah are also known to incorporate almost interchangeably with
Datura another Nightshade herb they call Branched Calalue.
SACRED DATURA: Nightshade Family [Solanaceae] is found in western Texas, New Mexico,
Colorado, Utah, Arizona, southern California, Mexico, and the West Indies and grows within an
elevation range between sea level and 6,500 feet. The name Datura, its generic name, is from the
Hindu Dhatura (dhat=the eternal essence (of God)), which was derived from the Sanskrit name
D'hastura.[1] Sacred Datura bloom at night starting early evening and typically closing around
noon the following day. They are pollinated by nocturnal visitors, usually sphinx or hawk moths.
The tea from Datura is extremely hallucinogenic. The hallucinogenic effects are reported to be
stronger than Peyote, Psyillicibin, or LSD. However, Datura is also very toxic and can cause
permanent psychosis. Solanaceous plants such as Sacred Datura contain relatively high
concentrations of tropane alkaloids, primarily Atropine, Hyoscyamine, and Scopolamine, the
primary alkaloid being Scopolamine. It is apparently Scopolamine that produces the
hallucinogenic effects. It induces an intoxication followed by narcosis in which hallucinations
occur during the transition state between consciousness and sleep.
When Datura is used in a Native American ritual, it is always under the guidance of an individual
of certain tribal spritual resolve such as a Medicine person or tribal elder. These experts on the
use of the plant know what other plants to add in order to neutralize the harmful effects. They
also know how much to adminsister and when and where to pick the plants, such as age, season,
time of year, whether under a full moon or no moon at all. Chemical constituents and levels vary
greatly from plant to plant, time of year, and from one area to another just generally, but
especially so if the plants are obtained through ritual or from a spot known for having special
powers like the Sun Dagger site on Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, holy places of
some sort such as Vortexes, or sacred grounds. The plants are very toxic, poisonous and lethal,
especially if consumed in quanities unmetered by someone not versed in their safe
administration. They can,
however, when properly dealt with, produce the end result sought after, and quite adequately so,
in the spiritual realm.
Although typically connected with Peyote in the minds of the general public, one of the formost
users of Datura was Carlos Castaneda who claimed its use as an apprentice to a Yaqui Indian
shaman-sorcerer named Don Juan Matus that is said to have studied under a Diablero.
In that there are a number of species of Datura there is some confusion as to what Datura
Castaneda may have used. According to Castaneda in THE TEACHINGS OF DON JUAN: A Yaqui
Way of Knowledge a shaman-sorcerer has an Ally contained in the Datura plants commonly
known as jimson weed. Don Juan called that ally by one of the Spanish names of the plant, yerba
del diablo (devil's weed) as well as Mescalito, with the ally taking on the form of a sort of plant
spirit. According to Don Juan, as he related it to Castaneda, ANY of the species of Datura was the
container of the ally. However, the sorcerer had to grow his own patch, not only in the sense that
the plants were his private property, but in the sense that they were personally identified with
him.
As for the "separate" Daturas, more or less on an official basis --- but not necessarily on a
common basis as the names, species and terms are usually intermixed (although it must be said,
even plant taxonomist disagree amongst themselves whether D. stramonium and D. inoxia are
different species while D. inoxia and D. metaloides are considered alternate names for the same
species). Usually, D. stramonium is most often the Datura species refered to as jimson weed,
while D. metaloides (also sometimes D. wrightii) is usually applied to Sacred Datura, and D.
inoxia is Toloache. Don Juan's own plants belonged to the species inoxia, however there was no
correlation between THAT fact and any differences that may have existed between any of the
species of Datura accessible to him.
Other Sanskrit names for Datura include: Dhattura, Dhuttura, Dhaturi, Dhustura, Turi, Dhurta,
Dhurtakrita, Devika, Ghantika, Ghantapushpa, Khala, Kahalapushpa, Kalama, Kanaka,
Kanakaohaya, Haravallabha, Kitava, Kanthaphala, Karjhunga, Kharadushana, Madanaka,
Unmattaka, Madakara, Madana, Mahamohi, Mohana, Purimoha, Matulaka, Matula, Shatha,
Mahashatha, Shyama, Shaiva, Shivapriya, Shivashekhara, Savisha, and Matta.