Atropa belladonna 207035 225968038 2008-07-16T06:49:53Z Ckatz 831038 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/65.102.185.222|65.102.185.222]] to last version by Guettarda (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{Taxobox | name = Deadly nightshade | image = Koeh-018.jpg | image_width = 240px | image_caption = [[Botanical illustration|Illustration]] from ''[[Koehler's Medicinal Plants]]'' 1887 | regnum = [[Plantae]] | divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]] | classis = [[Magnoliopsida]] | ordo = [[Solanales]] | familia = [[Solanaceae]] | genus = ''[[Atropa]]'' | species = '''''A. belladonna''''' | binomial = ''Atropa belladonna'' | binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]] }} '''''Atropa belladonna''''' or '''''Atropa bella-donna''''', commonly known as '''belladonna''' or '''deadly nightshade''', is a [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[herbaceous plant]] in the family [[Solanaceae]]. The drug [[atropine]] is produced from the foliage, which along with the berries are extremely [[toxic]], with [[hallucinogen]]ic properties. The species is native to [[Europe]], [[North Africa]], and [[Western Asia]], and has become [[Naturalisation (biology)|naturalized]] in parts of [[North America]]. In areas where it has become naturalized it can often be found in shady, moist areas with a [[limestone]]-rich [[soil]]. The name bella donna is derived from [[Italian language|Italian]] and means "beautiful woman."<ref>{{cite book |author=Spiegl, Fritz |title=Fritz Spiegl's Sick Notes: An Alphabetical Browsing-Book of Derivatives, Abbreviations, Mnemonics and Slang for Amusemen |publisher=Taylor & Francis |location=Washington, DC |year=1996 |pages=21-22 |isbn=1-85070-627-1 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref> == Description == [[Image:Atropa bella-donna1.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Atropa belladonna'']] ''Atropa belladonna'' is a branching [[herbaceous]] perennial, often growing as a subshrub, from a fleshy rootstock. Plants grow to 1.5&nbsp;[[metre|m]] (5&nbsp;[[foot (length)|ft]]) tall with 18&nbsp;[[centimetre|cm]] (7&nbsp;[[inch|in]]) long ovate leaves. The bell-shaped [[flower]]s are dull purple with green tinges and faintly scented. The [[fruit]]s are [[berry|berries]] that are green, approximately 1&nbsp;cm in diameter and when ripe, turn black with a shiny sheen. The berries are sweet and are consumed by animals that disperse the seeds in their droppings, even though the seeds contain toxic alkaloids. <ref>{{cite book |author=Kay QON |title=Edible fruits in a cool climate: the evolution and ecology of endozoochory in the European flora. In: Fruit and Seed Production: Aspects of Development, Environmental Physiology and Ecology (Society for Experimental Biology Seminar Series) (Ed. by C. Marshall and J. Grace)|publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, UK |year=2008 |pages=240 |isbn=0-521-05045-6 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref> There is a pale yellow flowering form called ''Atropa belladonna'' var. ''lutea'' with pale yellow fruit. ''Atropa belladona'' is rarely used in gardens, but when grown it is usually for its large upright [[habit]] and showy berries.<ref>{{cite book |author=Stuart, David |title=Dangerous garden: the quest for plants to change our lives |publisher=Harvard University Press |location=Cambridge |year=2004 |pages=49 |isbn=0-674-01104-X |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref> It is considered a [[weed]] species in parts of the world,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ATBE |title=PLANTS Profile for Atropa bella-donna (belladonna) | USDA PLANTS |format= |work= |accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> where it colonizes areas with disturbed soils.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Stepp JR |title=The role of weeds as sources of pharmaceuticals |journal=J Ethnopharmacol |volume=92 |issue=2-3 |pages=163–6 |year=2004 |month=June |pmid=15137997 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2004.03.002 |url=}}</ref> [[Germination]] of the small seeds is often difficult, due to hard seed coats that cause seed [[dormancy]]. Germination takes several weeks under alternating temperature conditions but can be speed up with the use of [[gibberellic acid]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Genova E, Komitska G, Beeva Y|title=Study on the germination of Atropa Bella-Donna L. Seeds|url=http://www.bio21.bas.bg/ipp/gapbfiles/v-23/97_1-2_61-66.pdf|journal=Bulgarian Journal of Plant Physiology|volume=23|issue=1-2|pages=61-66|year=1997|accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> The seedlings need [[sterilization (microbiology)|sterile]] [[soil]] to prevent [[damping off]] and resent root disturbance during transplanting. == Naming and taxonomy == The common names for this species include belladonna, deadly nightshade, dwale, banewort, devil's cherries, naughty man's cherries, divale, black cherry, devil's herb, great morel, and dwayberry.<ref name="Grieve">{{cite book | last = Grieve | first = Margaret | coauthors = Leyel C.F | title = Modern Herbal | publisher = Courier Dover Publications | date = 1971 | location = | pages = 584 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=KgfHxvGFHAoC&pg=PA584&dq=The+berries+are+full+of+a+dark,+inky+juice&ei=Gvq9R6WgCIfCtAOE4L2eBQ&sig=4lGsladEfMUQwL5EFZHTxG1UFYo | doi = | id = | isbn = 0486227995|accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> It is one of two species to be known as Deadly nightshade, the other is ''[[Solanum nigrum]]''. The first botanical description was by [[L.|Linnaeus]] in ''[[Species Plantarum]]'' in 1753.<ref>{{cite web| url =http://www.ipni.org/ipni/idPlantNameSearch.do?id=814358-1 | title = Solanaceae Atropa belladonna L. | accessdate = 2008-03-01 | date = 2003-07-02 | work = Plant Name Details | publisher = [[International Plant Names Index|IPNI]] | quote = Solanaceae ''Atropa belladonna'' L. ''Species Plantarum'' 2 1753 "Habitat in Austriae, Angliae montibus sylvosis." }}</ref> It is in the nightshade family (''[[Solanaceae]]''), which it shares with [[potato]]es, [[tomato]]es, [[eggplant]]s, [[jimsonweed]], [[tobacco]], [[wolfberry]], and [[chili pepper]]s. The name Atropa is thought to be derived from that of the Greek goddess Atropos, one of the three fates or destinies that would determine the course of a mans life by the weaving of threads that symbolized their birth, events in that life and finally their death; with Atropos cutting these threads to mark the latter. == Toxicity == [[Image:Atropa Bella-donna3.JPG|thumb|Flowers of ''belladonna''.]] [[Image:Atropa bella-donna0.jpg|thumb|Berries of ''belladonna''.]] [[Image:Atropa Bella-donna2.JPG|thumb|Leaves of ''belladonna''.]] Belladonna is one of the most [[toxic]] plants found in the [[Western hemisphere]]. All parts of the plant contain [[tropane alkaloids]].<ref name="veterinary">{{cite web |url=http://www.emea.europa.eu/pdfs/vet/mrls/054098en.pdf |title=Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products, Atropa Belladonna, Summary Report |format=pdf|date=1998|publisher=The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products |work= |accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> The berries pose the greatest danger to children because they look attractive and have a somewhat sweet taste.<ref name="Grieve"/> The consumption of two to five berries by children and ten to twenty berries by adults can be lethal. The root of the plant is generally the most toxic part, though this can vary from one specimen to another. Ingestion of a single leaf of the plant can be fatal to an adult.<ref name="veterinary"/> The active agents in Belladonna, atropine, hyoscine (scopolamine), and hyoscyamine, have [[anticholinergic]] properties. The symptoms of belladonna [[poisoning]] include dilated pupils, sensitivity to light, blurred [[Visual perception|vision]], [[tachycardia]], loss of [[Sense of balance|balance]], staggering, headache, [[rash]], flushing, dry mouth and throat, slurred speech, [[urinary retention]], [[constipation]], [[mental confusion|confusion]], [[hallucination]]s, delirium, and convulsions.<ref name="medline">{{cite web|url=http://mplus.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-belladonna.html|title=Belladonna (Atropa belladonna L. or its variety acuminata Royle ex Lindl)|date=02/01/2008|publisher=Medline Plus|accessdate=2008-06-14}}</ref><ref name="pmid17575737">{{cite journal |author=Lee MR |title=Solanaceae IV: Atropa belladonna, deadly nightshade |journal=J R Coll Physicians Edinb |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=77–84 |year=2007 |month=March |pmid=17575737 |doi= |url=http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/publications/articles/journal_37_1/R-lee.pdf}}</ref> The plant's deadly symptoms are caused by atropine's disruption of the [[parasympathetic nervous system]]'s ability to regulate non-volitional/subconscious activities such as sweating, breathing, and heart rate. The [[antidote]] for belladonna poisoning is [[physostigmine]] or [[pilocarpine]], the same as for atropine.<ref>{{cite book | last = Potter | first = Samuel O.L. | title = A Handbook of Materia Medica Pharmacy and Therapeutics | publisher = P. Blakiston's | date = 1893 | location = London | pages =53 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=q2ku1dbnaLYC&pg=PA53&dq=the+antidote+for+belladonna+is+physostigmine+or+pilocarpine+the+same+as+for+atropine&ei=F5PAR6a0KofCtAPa_ty2CA | doi = | id = | isbn = }}</ref> ''Atropa belladonna'' is also toxic to many domestic animals and livestock causing narcosis and paralysis;<ref name="NC_State">{{cite web | author = North Carolina State University Department of Plant Biology | title = Poisonous Vascular Plants | publisher = NC State University | date = 2000 | url = http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/plantbiology/ncsc/Poisonplants/Vascular_plants.htm | format = htm | doi = | accessdate = 2008-07-07 }}</ref> however, cattle and [[rabbit]]s seem to eat the plant without suffering harmful effects.<ref name="pmid17575737"/> == Uses == === Cosmetics === The common name ''belladonna'' originates from its historic use by women - ''Bella Donna'' is [[Italian language|Italian]] for ''beautiful lady.'' Drops prepared from the Belladonna plant were used to [[mydriasis|dilate]] women's [[pupil]]s, an effect considered attractive.<ref>{{cite book |author=Hofmann, Albert; Schultes, Richard Evans |title=Plants of the Gods: Origins of Hallucinogenic Use |publisher=Van der Marck Editions |location=New York |year=1987 |pages=88 |isbn=0-912383-37-2 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Tombs S, Silverman I|title=Pupillometry: A sexual selection approach|journal=Evolution and Human Behavior|volume=25|issue=4|pages=211-228|year=2004|doi=10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2004.05.001}}</ref> Today it is known that the [[atropine]] in Belladonna acts as an [[antimuscarinic]], blocking receptors in the muscles of the eye that constrict pupil size.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100002958.html |title=Atropine Eye Drops |format= |work= |accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> Belladonna is currently rarely used cosmetically, as it carries the [[Adverse effect (medicine)|adverse effect]]s of causing minor visual distortions, inability to focus on near objects, and increased heart rate. Prolonged usage was reputed to cause blindness. === Medicine === [[Atropine]], derived from belladonna, reverses the effects of poisoning by [[organophosphate]] [[nerve agents]] used for [[chemical warfare]].<ref name="atropine">{{cite journal |author=Robenshtok E, Luria S, Tashma Z, Hourvitz A |title=Adverse reaction to atropine and the treatment of organophosphate intoxication |journal=Isr. Med. Assoc. J. |volume=4 |issue=7 |pages=535–9 |year=2002 |month=July |pmid=12120467 |doi= |url= |accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> The alkaloid l-atropine was purified from belladona in the 1830s. This was an important development that enabled studies of the autonomic nervous system leading to the recognition of the function of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.<ref name="pmid17575737" /> [[Donnatal]] is a [[prescription]] pharmaceutical approved in the United States by the [[United States Food and Drug Administration|FDA]] to "provide peripheral [[anticholinergic]]/antispasmodic action and mild sedation." It contains "natural belladonna alkaloids... combined with [[phenobarbital]]." The FDA has ordered a warning placed on the prescribing information stating that the drug is "possibly effective" for the treatment of [[irritable bowel syndrome]] and acute [[enterocolitis]] and as an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of [[duodenal]] [[ulcers]].<ref>[http://www.donnatal.com/donnatal/pi_extentabs.asp Donnatal Extentabs® : Prescribing Information]</ref> ===Alternative medicine=== Belladonna has been used in [[Traditional medicine|traditional treatments]] for centuries for an assortment of conditions including headache, menstrual symptoms, peptic ulcer disease, inflammation, and motion sickness.<ref name="medline"/> Diluted preparations of Belladonna in the form of [[Homeopathy|homeopathic preparations]] have been used for various conditions.<ref name="medline"/><ref name="oxford">{{cite book|last=Vaughan|first=John Griffith|coauthors=Patricia Ann Judd, David Bellamy|title=The Oxford Book of Health Foods|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=2003|pages=59|isbn=0198504594|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=mMl9vwVDxigC&pg=PA59&lpg=PA59&dq=%22deadly+nightshade%22+homeopathic&source=web&ots=xEccdnf4ox&sig=uQu-JUHbXaEd9Ru5vJAPS9hkk0Y}}</ref><ref name="Grieve2"/> [[Evidence-based medicine|Evidence-based]] information from the [[NIH]] states there is currently insufficient scientific evidence to recommend the use of traditional or homeopathic preparations of belladonna for any condition.<ref name="medline"/> The modern medical application for these ailments is similar to the traditional applications, although the latter generally indicates use for a wider range of ailments.<ref name="Grieve2">{{cite web |author=Grieve M|year=1998|url=http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/n/nighde05.html |title= A Modern Herbal-Nightshade, Deadly |publisher=botanical.com|format= |work= |accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> === Recreational drug === ''Atropa belladonna'' is used as a [[recreational drug]] and can produce vivid real [[hallucination]]s in addition to its severe, adverse anticholinergic effects. Use of Belladonna for recreational purposes is considered extremely dangerous because of the risks of unintentional, fatal [[drug overdose|overdose]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Dewitt MS, Swain R, Gibson LB |title=The dangers of jimson weed and its abuse by teenagers in the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia |journal=W V Med J |volume=93 |issue=4 |pages=182–5 |year=1997 |pmid=9274142 |doi= |url= |accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Micke MM |title=The case of hallucinogenic plants and the Internet |journal=J Sch Health |volume=66 |issue=8 |pages=277–80 |year=1996 |month=October |pmid=8899584 |doi= |url= |accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Cummins BM, Obetz SW, Wilson MR |title=Belladonna poisoning as a facet of pschyodelia |journal=JAMA |volume=204 |issue=11 |pages=1011 |year=1968 |month=June |pmid=5694682 |doi= |url= |accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref> == Folklore == In the past, it was believed by some that witches used a mixture of belladonna, [[opium poppy]], and other plants, typically poisonous (such as [[monkshood]] and [[poison hemlock]]) in [[flying ointment]] they applied to help them fly to gatherings with other witches. [[Carlo Ginzburg]] and others have argued that flying ointments were preparations meant to encourage hallucinatory dreaming; a possible explanation for the inclusion of belladonna and opium poppy in flying ointments concerns the known antagonism between tropane alkaloids of belladonna (specifically [[scopolamine]]) and opiate alkaloids in [[Papaver somniferum]] (specifically morphine), which produces a dream-like waking state. This antagonism was known in folk medicine, discussed in Eclectic (botanical) medicine formularies<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/kings/atropa.html |title=Belladonna.—Belladonna |format= |work= |accessdate=2008-07-08}}</ref>, and posited as the explanation of how flying ointments might have actually worked in contemporary writing on witchcraft.<ref>{{cite book | last = Kuklin | first = Alexander | title = How Do Witches Fly?| publisher = DNA Press | date = February 1999 | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0966402707 }}</ref> The antagonism between opiates and tropanes is the original basis of the [[Twilight Sleep]] that was provided to [[Queen Victoria]] to deaden pain as well as consciousness during childbirth, and which was later modified so that isolated alkaloids were used instead of plant materials, the whole belladonna herb especially being notable for its unpredictability of effect and toxicity.<ref>{{cite book | last = Kowalchik | first = Claire | coauthors = Carr A Hylton W | title = Herb gardening | publisher = Rodale | date = 1987 | location = | pages = 1 and 158 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=htGD3Y7WNxwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Atropa+belladonna&lr=&source=gbs_summary_r#PPA1,M1 | doi = | id = | isbn = 087596964X }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Harner, Michael J. |title=Hallucinogens and Shamanism |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford [Oxfordshire] |year=1973 |pages=123-150 |isbn=0-19-501649-1 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref> == See also == * [[Toxin]] * [[List of plants poisonous to equines]] * [[List of poisonous plants]] * [[Atropine]] == References == {{Reflist}} == External links == {{commons|Atropa belladonna|Deadly nightshade}} * {{cite web | title=Compounds in deadly nightshade | work=USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. [Online Database] National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. | url=http://sun.ars-grin.gov:8080/npgspub/xsql/duke/plantdisp.xsql?taxon=143 | accessmonthday=July 28 | accessyear=2005}} {{Ancient anaesthesia-footer}} [[Category:Solanaceae]] [[Category:Deliriants]] [[Category:Entheogens]] [[Category:Herbal and fungal hallucinogens]] [[Category:Medicinal plants]] [[Category:Poisonous plants]] [[br:Benede]] [[bg:Беладона]] [[ca:Belladona]] [[cs:Rulík zlomocný]] [[da:Galnebær]] [[de:Schwarze Tollkirsche]] [[es:Atropa belladonna]] [[eo:Beladono]] [[fa:شابیزک]] [[fr:Belladone]] [[it:Atropa belladonna]] [[ht:Bèl dam]] [[la:Solanum]] [[lt:Vaistinė šunvyšnė]] [[hu:Nadragulya]] [[nl:Wolfskers]] [[ja:ベラドンナ]] [[no:Belladonnaurt]] [[pl:Pokrzyk wilcza jagoda]] [[pt:Beladona]] [[ro:Mătrăgună]] [[ru:Белладонна]] [[simple:Deadly nightshade]] [[sk:Ľuľkovec zlomocný]] [[sl:Volčja češnja]] [[sr:Велебиље]] [[fi:Myrkkykoiso]] [[sv:Belladonna]] [[uk:Белладонна]] [[zh:颠茄]]