Botany
Trompeta is a small tree or large shrub growing to a height of 3 meters or more. Leaves are simple, opposite, ovate-lanceolate, 13 to 18 centimeters long, 6 to 8 centimeters wide, with pointed tips, unequal, obtuse or rounded bases, with entire or hairy margins. Flowers are large and showy, about 20 centimeters long, creamy white, pendulous, and musk-like in odor. Calyx is tubular, entire and spathelike. Corolla tube is cylindrical with very big lobes.

Distribution
- Recently introduced in the Philippines.
- Cultivated as an ornamental plant in Baguio.
- Occasional in the lowlands.
- Native of Peru and Chile.

Constituents
- Leaves and seeds yield alkaloids with narcotic properties.
- Chief alkaloids found in datura are atropine, hyoscyamine, hyoscine (scopolamine) and meteloidine.
- Flowers, leaves, stems and roots contain scopolamine and some hyoscyamine.
- The roots have some atropine and a little hyoscyamine.
- Seeds contain scopolamine and hyoscyamine and a little scopolamine.
- The stem has much hyocyamine and a little scopolamine.
- The leaves contain scopolamine, 0.44% , and an alkaloid, floripondine.
- Flowers have yielded fats, resin acid, tannic acid, glucose, alkaloid, gummy principles, cellulose.

Properties
- Leaves and seeds yield alkaloids with narcotic properties.

Parts used and preparation
Leaves.

Uses
Folkloric
- In Peru, Chile, and other parts of South America, a poultice of leaves is applied externally to accelerate the suppuration of boils and to relieve pain.
- Plant used for belladonna if given in double or treble dosing.
- In Ayurveda, used for arthritis, ulcers, back pain, skin diseases, sciatica, dandruff.
- Used for rheumatism, worms, colds, fever, erisypelas, cramps, asthma, hemorrhoids.
- In the Ecuadorian Amazon, used as hallucinogenic; used by shamans for bewitching and curing. Also, the stems and branches, cut longitudinally are applied to the head or painful body part, bandaged to the area for 15 minutes.

Concerns/ Toxicity
- Plant has been used as hallucinogen and intoxicant from the hyocyamine content.
- The chief alkaloids found in datura are atropine, hyoscyamine, hyoscine (scopolamine) and meteloidine. Poisoning can occur with overdose of any of the alkaloids. As little as 4 grams of leaf can be fatal to a child; alas, as the child's curiosity is drawn to the plants large flowers and spiny seed capsules.
- Appearance of alkaloid toxicity can be within minutes to hours, depending on concentration, method of ingestion and dosing, manifesting as: extreme thirst, pupil dilatation, vision impairment and hallucinations. High temperature, flushed skin and palpitations may be observed. In non-fatal cases, signs and symptoms subside in 12 to 48 hours, although visual impairment and lethargy may persist for some time.

Studies
• Spasmolytic Alkaloids: Results showed dose-dependent reduction of electrical contractions of guinea-pig ileum and reduction of the electrical and the Ach-induced contractions of the ileum. Three active substances identified were tropane alkaloids – atropine, scopolamine and nor-hyoscine.
• Ferredoxin / Amino Acid Sequence: The D. arborea ferredoxin exhibited three or four differences in the amino acid sequence when compared with D stramonium and D metel. The result supports the idea propounded by Bernhardi and Safford that 'Tree Datura" such as D arborea should be a section of the genus Datura and not a separate genus.
• Antiamoebic: Crude extract of leaves showed moderate antiamoebic activity at MIC of 125 ug/ml. The activity was not due to its alkaloid contents because atropine and scopolamine were inactive in vitro against E histolytica.
• Anti-Dermal Pathogenic Fungi Activity: Study of antibiotic activities of metabolite of entophytic fungi strain isolated from D. arborea isolated four compounds. One compound, a 5-butylpicolinic acid named fusaric acid, could inhibit the growth of Microsporum gypseum and Tricophyton gypseum.

Availability
Wild-crafted.
Ornamental cultivation.