Belladonna
Small Belladonna plant This month we are returning to our core theme of toxic plants and we will be discussing one toxic plant in particular: Atropa belladonna , also known as Deadly Nightshade. But first the usual legal warning: THIS BLOG IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. ANY OF IT. EVER. Belladonna has a long history of use by humans both in medicine and in warfare. It was used by the ancient Greeks to induce drowsiness and numbness before surgery. It was used in larger doses by the ancient Romans as a biological weapon, for example on arrowheads, or for poisoning the enemy’s water supply. The Roman emperors Claudius and Augustus are reputed to have been poisoned by it. Many toxic plants are therapeutic in small doses but toxic or fatal in large doses. The medieval herbalists and “cunning folk” who used the plant therapeutically probably trod a fine line between being called healers if things went well, but poisoners if they didn’t. Many o