Atropa belladonna:

The deadly nightshade

Taxonomy
Kingdom:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Species:

Plantae
Magnoliophyta
Solanales
Solanaceae
Atropa
A. belladonna

 Atropa

Taxonomy (cont.)

From the Greek God Atropos

One of the fates that cut the thread of life

Belladonna
Beautiful Lady in Italian

Common Names:
Deadly Nightshade
Devils Herb
Apples of Sodom

Same family as the potatoes,

tomatoes, eggplants, tobacco, chili
peppers, etc.

Morphology & Botanical

Relationships
Low growing perennial
herb/shrub that grows 2-6 ft
tall
Not hardy perennial
Sensitive to being
transplanted
Thick root
Leaves
Simple, alternate

Morphology & Botanical

Relationships (cont.)
Flowers
Solitary bell-shaped (drooping
and tubular)
5-lobe
Dull red-purple or greenish
purple

Fruit
Glossy, purple-black berries
Green berries turn purplishblack as plant matures

Species Distribution
Native to Eurasia
Naturalized in many parts
of the world
Cultivated/harvested in
US:
California, Oregon,
Washington, Michigan,
New Jersey, New York

Some farms even export

to Europe

Habitat
Seeds are small: about 10,000 plants will
germinate from 1-2oz of seed
Germination takes up to several weeks
In warm, moist, sterile soil

Plant requires:
rich, moist
plenty of fertilizer
weed free environment

Habitat (cont.)
Landscape in flower gardens as
herbaceous flowering ornamental
May even be considered a weed in
some areas
Plant is usually high yielding
But susceptible to wilt disease caused by
potato beetle and flea beetle

Active Compounds
Tropane Alkaloids

Atropine
C17H23NO3
C17H21NO4

Hyoscyamine
C17H23NO3

Scopolamine

History of Uses
Attributed to the Bacchanalian orgies
Women tear off clothes, go into
frenzied dances and literally throw
themselves at men

Used in witches brew and flying

ointments
Anointed broomstick

History of Uses (cont.)

Romans used plant as a weapon
Contaminated enemies food storage

Used to poison the troops of Marcus

Antonius during the Parthian Wars.
Scottish troops used it during a truce to
subdue the invading Danes.
Legend: Scottish troops put belladonna into
enemies liquor supply
Waited for enemies to fall asleep and then kill
them

History of Uses (cont.)

Truth serum in the old days
Used in many legal battles and court cases

Cosmetics:
Spanish and Italian Women
Extracts used as eye drops to dilate pupils, giving
pupils a more intense, hypnotic, and attractive appeal
Because pupil dilate when people are aroused;
therefore, making eye contact more intense

History of Uses (cont.)

Pain reducer:
1992: Scopolamine added to morphine to cause twilight
sleep
Lessened the pain and mortality of childbirth

Life saver:
In 1943 (WWII), the Germans had developed a nerve gas
in which Atropa (atropine) was the only antidote
In Tijuana Mexico (1967), people poisoned by insecticide
parathion - when they ate the bread that was exposed to
the chemical
Use of atropine saved many lives

Uses in Medicine
Slows action of smooth muscle system
Parkinsons symptoms
Irregularities in heart rate
Dilates pupils
Reduces salivation
Stomach and bladder
cramps
Helps to relax pre-surgery patients

Uses in Medicine Cont.

Combats infection and decreases pain
when combined with methylene blue,
phenyl salicylate, and benzoic acid.
Prevents nausea and vomiting caused
by motion sickness
Counteracts the effects of nerve gas.

Recent Studies
Study done in 2006
Older patients who could not reach their
target heart rate were given atropine.
Control group did not receive atropine
when they did not reach their target heart
rate.
Those who received atropine were able to
reach their target heart rate while the
control group was not.

Recent Studies
2007 Singapore
One group of children received
atropine eye drops in one eye
while the other eye was allowed
to progress naturally.
Second, control group was given saline eye drops.
The eye in which the experimental group received the atropine
eye drops was found to stop myopic progression while the
other eye progressed naturally.
The control group saw no such benefits from their saline eye
drops.

Effects on Humans

Increased/rapid heart rate

Fits of laughter
Inability to urinate
Dilated pupils
Dryness of mouth
Nausea, vomiting
Muscle failure
Exhaustion

Signs of Overdose

Stop perspiring
Rise in body temperature
Inability to see or blurred vision
Hallucinations
Flushed skin
Confusion
Coma
Death

Harvesting and Processing

- Harvested at full bloom
- Can be harvested as soon as
the first year of growth
(1crop
obtained)
- Continue harvesting for 2-4
years (2-3 crops)
- Once plant is two years old, can harvest twice a
year: June and September.
- After fourth year, all of plant is cut down and new
seeds are planted
- Because there is no further increase in alkaloid
content

Harvesting and Processing

Cont.
- For the first few years all of the plant save for the last
inch or so is cut away.
- The harvested portions of the plant are allowed to dry
in the sun.
- Chemical extraction and
isolation result in the
production of atropine.
- Atropine sulfate is stored
in a 0.9% saline solution
and preservative (benzol
alcohol)

Summary
What we planned to do initially - carrots
Atropa belladonna is a member of the
Solanaceae (potato) family
Although it is a poisonous plant, it still
has many uses. Ironically, among the
important ones are medicinal use
Mainly used to speed up heart rates

What We Think?
We found it to be an interesting plant
A prime example of a highly poisonous
plant, yet still very useful for us
Atropa belladonna is a plant that has
ongoing research done on it mainly
to study affects of the tropane alkaloids
Maybe theyll accidentally find some
other uses of the plant???

References

Emboden, William. Narcotic Plants. Collier Books, New York, 1980.

Fan, D. S. P.; Lam, D. S. C.; Chan, C. K. M.; Fan, A. H.; Cheung, E. Y. Y.; Rao, S. K.
Topical Atropine In Retarding Myopic Progression and Axial Length Growth in Children with
Moderate to Severe Myopia: A Pilot Study. Jpn J Ophthalmol 51, 27-33, 2007.
Simpson, Beryll. Economic Botany: Plants in our World, 3rd Ed. McGraw Hill, New York,
2001.
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ATROP
http://www.ams.usda.gov/NOSB/MaterialsReview/AtropineFinalSupplement.pdf
http://www.biopix.dk/Photo.asp?PhotoId=1697
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Atropbe.htm
http://www.eyehealthillinois.org/dilatedbig.html
http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_belladonna.htm
http://www.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de/~db26/fotos/_Gift-_und_Arzneipflanzen?C=D%3BO=A
http://www.siu.edu/~ebl/leaflets/atropa.htm
http://www.swsbm.com/Images/New10-2003/Atropa_belladonna-7.jpg
http://www.triora.org/processo_ing.html
http://www.uic.edu/sph/glakes/kids/case1/slides1/ss14.htm
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/WITCHES/witches.html

Questions??
Thank You!