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Atropa bella-donna has a long history of use as a medicine, cosmetic, and poison. [14] [4] [15] Known originally under various folk names (such as "deadly nightshade" in English), the plant was named Atropa bella-donna by Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) when he devised his classification system.
The best-known member of the genus Atropa is deadly nightshade (A. belladonna) – the poisonous plant par excellence in the minds of many. [8] The pharmacologically active ingredients of Atropa species include atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine, all tropane alkaloids having anticholinergic, deliriant, antispasmodic and mydriatic properties.
Nightshade vegetables come from the Solanaceae family of flowering plants, which are nutritional powerhouses, packed with vitamins (such as C and K), minerals (like potassium and magnesium), and ...
The plant's deadly symptoms are caused by atropine's disruption of the parasympathetic nervous system's ability to regulate involuntary activities such as sweating, breathing, and heart rate. The antidote for atropine poisoning is physostigmine or pilocarpine. [68] A. belladonna is also toxic to many domestic animals, causing narcosis and ...
Hyoscyamine (also known as daturine or duboisine) is a naturally occurring tropane alkaloid and plant toxin. It is a secondary metabolite found in certain plants of the family Solanaceae, including henbane, mandrake, angel's trumpets, jimsonweed, the sorcerers' tree, and Atropa belladonna (deadly nightshade).
Nightshade plants containing hyoscyamine, atropine, and scopolamine: Datura; Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum) Other Solanaceae; Peyote. Psychoactive cacti, which contain mainly mescaline: Peyote; Other Lophophora; Peruvian Torch cactus; San Pedro cactus
Sometimes S. nigrum is confused for the more toxic deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), which is in a different genus within Solanaceae. A comparison of the fruit shows that the black nightshade berries grow in bunches, whereas the deadly nightshade berries grow individually. Another distinction is black nightshade flowers have white petals.
Solanine is a glycoalkaloid poison found in species of the nightshade family within the genus Solanum, such as the potato (Solanum tuberosum). It can occur naturally in any part of the plant, including the leaves, fruit, and tubers. Solanine has pesticidal properties, and it is one of the plant's natural defenses.