Deadly nightshade – Atropa belladonna
Belladonna – ‘beautiful woman’ in Italian – was given its nickname because of the pupil-dilating properties of atropine. In the past, many women took advantage of these properties: they dripped the plant's juice into their eyes to give them a dark, shiny and mysterious appearance.
Deadly and yet healing
Fields of application
Alkaloids are among the most important ingredients of belladonna, mainly atropine, which combines D- and L-hyoscyamine. Hyoscyamine inhibits the muscarinic receptor and thus has a relaxing and calming effect. In medical doses, atropine increases the heart rate and relaxes smooth muscles. This relieves gastrointestinal and bile duct spasms and reduces the formation of saliva and sweat. The plant is traditionally used as a sedative for asthma and pain. In homeopathy, belladonna is used in potencies D3-D6 for spasmodic conditions of all hollow organs, for asthma, stomach ulcers and colic. Belladonna is also used to treat period pains, various neuralgias and gout. Warning: belladonna is a deadly poisonous plant, containing toxins in all its parts. Its berries are particularly dangerous – just a few of them can be fatal for children! As a layperson, you should definitely keep your hands off belladonna.
Botanical characteristics
Atropa belladonna is a perennial plant with succulent stems and large leaves that grows in sparse forests in Europe and Asia Minor on limestone and primary rock. Its flowers are drooping, tubular, brownish-violet on the outside and yellowish on the inside. They bloom from June to August. The ripe fruits are cherry-sized, shiny black, juicy berries. However, it is usually the leaves of this poisonous plant that are used for medicinal purposes.