Overview:
Atropa belladonna or Atropa bella-donna, commonly known as belladonna or deadly nightshade, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Solanaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. The foliage and berries are extremely toxic, containing tropane alkaloids. These toxins include scopolamine and hyoscyamine which cause a bizarre delirium and hallucinations. The drug atropine is also derived from the plant.
It has a long history of use as a medicine, cosmetic, and poison. Before the Middle Ages, it was used as an anesthetic for surgery, and it was used as a poison by early men, ancient Romans, including the wives of two Emperors, and by Macbeth of Scotland before he became a Scottish King. The genus name "atropa" comes from Atropos, one of the three Fates in Greek mythology, and the name "bella donna" is derived from Italian and means "beautiful woman".
Atropa belladonna, along with related plants such as Datura and Brugmansia, has occasionally been used as a recreational drug because of the vivid hallucinations and delirium that it produces. These hallucinations are most commonly described as very unpleasant, however any recreational use is considered extremely dangerous because of the high risk of unintentional fatal overdose. In addition, the central nervous system effects of atropine include memory disruption, which may lead to severe confusion.
List of Chemicals in Belladonna:
| Chemical |
Part |
Lo
ppm |
Hi
ppm |
Reference |
| ALKALOIDS |
Leaf |
1000 |
12000 |
|
| ALKALOIDS |
Root |
4000 |
8800 |
|
| APOATROPINE |
Plant |
|
|
|
| ASPARAGINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| ATROPAMINE |
Leaf |
|
|
|
| ATROPAMINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| ATROPINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| BELLADONNINE |
Leaf |
|
|
|
| BELLADONNINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| BELLARIDINE |
Plant |
|
|
|
| CHOLINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| CUSCOHYGRINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| DELTA-N-METHYLORNITHINE |
Plant |
|
|
|
| ESCULETIN |
Plant |
|
|
|
| HELLARADINE |
Root |
|
20 |
|
| HOMATROPINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| HYOSCYAMINE |
Root |
2000 |
8712 |
|
| KAEMPFEROL-7-GLUCOSIDE-3-RHAMNOGALACTOSIDE |
Leaf |
|
|
|
| KAEMPFEROL-7-GLUCOSIDE-3-RHAMNOGLUCOSIDE |
Leaf |
|
|
|
| L-HYOSCYAMINE |
Root |
3080 |
7656 |
|
| L-SCOPOLAMINE |
Leaf |
|
|
|
| L-SCOPOLAMINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| LEUKATROPINIC-ACID |
Root |
|
|
|
| METELOIDINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| METHYL-PYRROLINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| METHYLPYRROLIDINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| NICOTINE |
Leaf |
|
|
|
| NORATROPINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| NORHYOSCYAMINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| PHYTOSTEROLS |
Root |
|
|
|
| PYRIDINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| QUERCETIN-7-GLUCOSIDE-3-RHAMNOGALACTOSIDE |
Leaf |
|
|
|
| QUERCETIN-7-GLUCOSIDE-3-RHAMNOGLUCOSIDE |
Leaf |
|
|
|
| SCOPINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| SCOPOLAMINE |
Root |
40 |
88 |
|
| SCOPOLETIN |
Root |
|
|
|
| STARCH |
Root |
|
|
|
| SUCCINIC-ACID |
Leaf |
|
|
|
| TANNIN |
Root |
|
120000 |
|
| TROPACOCAINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| TROPINE |
Root |
|
|
|
| UMBELLIFERONE |
Root |
|
|
|
Side Effects and Adverse Reactions:
Belladonna is one of the most toxic plants found in the Western hemisphere. All parts of the plant contain tropane alkaloids. The berries pose the greatest danger to children because they look attractive and have a somewhat sweet taste. 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.
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 vision, tachycardia, loss of balance, staggering, headache, rash, flushing, dry mouth and throat, slurred speech, urinary retention, constipation, confusion, hallucinations, delirium, and convulsions. 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.
Research:
