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herb
Atropa belladonna (Deadly Nightshade)
Botanicals

definition

botanical name(s): Atropa belladonna

synonyms: belladonna, deadly nightshade

part(s) used: leaf, root

qualities:

affinities:

actions:

dosage:

» leaf tincture: 8 drops men; 6 drops women (Weiss, p. 55)

» root tincture: 1/20 to 1 drops

therapy:

AHPA Botanical Safety Rating: 3

toxicity: 4; see anticholinergic toxidrome

» treatment of overdose includes Physostigmine 2 mg I.V., cold water

hydrotherapy, cool drinks to reduce dryness of mouth, administration of

ophthalmic solution containing 1% or less Pilocarpine (Ellis, p. 65)

» contraindicated in patients with glaucoma or paraplegias

» anticholinergic toxidrome: red as a beet, dry as a bone, blind as a bat, mad as a hatter. Causes drying of the mouth, with thirst and dysphagia, along with erythema especially on the neck, chest and face. Esophageal hyperemia and hemorrhagic gastritis can occur. Pupils dilate, react slowly to light; tachycardia, palpitations, tachypnea, urinary retention, fever, trembling, twitching. Mental changes can be seen including giddiness, restlessness, confusion, ataxia, delirium, mania, drowsiness, stupor. Paresthesias and anesthesias may occur; an illusionogenic hallucinatory stage (with both visual and auditory effects) can develop and last several days. Death occurs due to respiratory failure and circulatory collapse (AMA p. 36; Woodward, p. 64).

» notable clinical and laboratory test results: dysuria, often with glycosuria accompanied by hypoxia and a change in body temperature (initially elevated, then depressed during or after the hallucinatory stage preceding death); elevated AST and LDH; EEG shows slow waves with rhythmic bursts (AMA, p. 36; Ellis, p. 79; Woodward, p. 64; von Oettingen, p. 249; Poisindex).

constituents: tropane alkaloids, volatile pyridine and pyrrolidine bases, flavonoids

footnotes

Ellis, M.D. 1975. Dangerous Plants, Snakes, Arthropods, And Marine Life. Hamilton, IL: Drug Intelligence Publications, Inc.

von Oettingen, W.F. 1958. Poisoning: A Guide to Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders and Company.

Weiss, R.F. 1988. Herbal Medicine. Gothenburg, Sweden: Ab Arcanum; Beaconsfield, England: Beaconsfield Publishers, Ltd.

Woodward, L. 1985. Poisonous Plants: A Color Field Guide. New York: Hippocrene Books, Inc.