Atropa belladonna
For information on the erotic actress Belladonna see: Belladonna.
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Atropa belladonna |
Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) is a well-known, hardy perennial shrub, also known as belladonna. It is native to Europe and has become naturalized in parts of North America.
The name
Belladonna comes from the Italian word for beautiful woman, as women used an extract of the plant to dilate their pupils for cosmetic purposes.
Despite its name, deadly nightshade is not a particularly poisonous plant. This does not, however, mean that the plant is harmless or safe to ingest.
Classification
It is a member of the nightshade family. Technically speaking, it is not a "true" nightshade because it does not contain solanine.
Description
The plant has dull green leaves. Its flowers are either purple or pink, which yield shiny black berries. It is a small shrub, and can grow to be about one metre tall. It is relatively easy to grow from seeds. Because of its name, it is not common as a garden plant. It is a weed in some places. It is hard to eliminate once it becomes established.
Uses
Medicine
All parts of the plant, especially the berries, contain the extremely toxic alkaloid atropine. The approximate lethal dose for an adult is three berries, though fewer can be fatal. Symptoms of belladonna poisoning are the same as those for atropine and include dilated pupils, nausea, tachycardia, hallucinations, blurred vision, loss of balance, a feeling of flight, staggering, a sense of suffocation, paleness followed by a red rash, husky voice and confusion. Fatal cases have a rapid pulse that turns feeble. The antidote is the same as for atropine.
The plant is the most important source of atropine. In Europe, it is cultivated for that reason. Occasionally, the plants are used for recreational purposes, though this is dangerous for obvious reasons.
Cosmetics
In times past, an extract of Belladonna (the plant) was used by Belladonnas (the human variety) in times past as eyedrops.
This was done as part of their makeup preparations. The atropine content of the fluid had the effect of dilating the pupil, thus making their eyes supposedly more attractive. It had the side effect of making their vision a little blurry and make their heart rates go up ever so slightly but that was little price to pay for big dilated pupils or so it seemed.
Dilated pupils are considered more attractive because pupils normally dilate when a person is aroused.
Witchcraft
According to practitioners of witchcraft, nightshade is ruled by Hecate and can turn into an old hag on Walpurgis Night. It is also used in flying ointments. Of the twelve recipes for flyng ointments, six call for deadly nightshade.
Links
- Belladonna in flying ointments