Before I start, I just want to thank Joanna from Joanna st James - Bionic Writer from kindly offering me a copy of a book - Being With Him. If you haven't check out this wonderful writer's blog, I would highly recommend it. She's such an amazing person!
ATROPA BELLADONNANote: If you are reading this information because you plan to use it on your spouse or in-laws, please leave. This guide if for the use of writers or students only. If you murder someone, you will be caught.
AKA: Belladonna. Other common names for belladonna include atropa, deadly nightshade, death's herb, dwale, and witch's berry.
Where is it found? Belladonna is native to Europe and Asia. Some sources say it originated in India. It has been cultivated on almost all continents for centuries.Belladonna is one of the most toxic plants found in the Western hemisphere. All parts of the plant contain tropane alkaloids.
Symptoms: Symptoms of belladonna poisoning include fever, dry mouth, rapid pulse, dilation of pupils, headache, difficulty swallowing, hallucinations, and death.
Fast or Slow Acting: Symptoms may be slow to appear but last for several days.
How is used as a poison? Ingestion - the berry is reportedly sweet.
How can you make it so the victim won't notice it? All parts of the plant may prove to be poisonous even when taken in small quantities. The sweet black berries are especially so. Some people have reported eating up to ten of the berries and survived, but children have died from eating just two or three. Ten to twenty will kill most adults. Just say they are eating black-berries in a salad.
What would the autopsy find?
Click to enlarge
Case study: Before the Middle Ages, it was used as an anesthetic for surgery, the ancient Romans used it as a poison (the wife of Emperor Augustus and the wife of Claudius both used it to murder contemporaries) and predating this it was used to make poison tipped arrows.
this is exactly what I needed with my morning tea :))
ReplyDeleteYay! Deadly nightshade!
ReplyDeleteI use this in The Hating Game, although no-one ingests it. It's more for comedic effect, if one can say that something called 'deadly' can be comedic...
Clarissa - Thanks as always for this really useful information. I've read that belladonna in very small doses used to be used to cure headache. Ironic that poisoning by it causes headache... Very interesting historical stuff, too, in this post!
ReplyDeleteWhy is it such nasty potions have such lovely names? As always, good information.
ReplyDeletecool... I'm really enjoying learning all this. It's great for imagination/brainstorming. :D <3
ReplyDeleteDez, as long as you don't actually put any IN your morning tea, you should be fine.
ReplyDeleteTalli, death can be funny! Haven't you ever seen "Death at a Funeral?"
Margot, it's funny, most poisons I mention on my blog are also found in medicine. So, I guess in proper quantity, it's helpful. A person can ingest too much water and die as well.
Jrlindermuth, that's a good question. Maybe to help the murderers give it to their victims. It's called the Beautiful Lady, how harmful could it be? Actually, I think people used this poison as cosmetic to make them beautiful. Today, we use the nice poison BOTOX.
CD
Hi Clarissa,
ReplyDeleteAlthough this is serious information you provide here, I couldn't help laughing at your advice "in red ink" for people to leave the blog if they were not writers using this info for fiction writing. ;) Clever!
This was the poison used in 'Practical Magic.' One of the characters said. "It's used as a sleep aid." If indeed it makes your heart go bumpity bump, then that certainly isn't true. Great post.
ReplyDeleteNancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
Belladonna!! Awwww I remember emerging into a thicket after a very very very long and arduous hike up some mountain in deepest darkest northern France into an area covered - COVERED in belladonnas!! The fruit is stunning seen in clutches - velvetty black, shiny, beautiful!
ReplyDeleteOh but oh so deadly! take care
x
This is such interesting information. I love that you include the historical references with it, too. :)
ReplyDeleteDid you know that it got the name ´bella donna´ (beautiful lady) because of those diluted pupils?
ReplyDeleteI think it may also have been those Romans who thougth large eyes was a beauty ideal.
Thanks for another great and interesting post.
ReplyDeleteHi Clarissa thank you for the shout out that is really sweet of you. I am intrigued as to why it is called bella donna is it a coincidence they liken it to a beautiful lady?
ReplyDeleteSeems like I remember belladonna was a medicine used to treat vertigo, too. Again, interesting that the med can cause dizziness if too much is ingested.
ReplyDeleteOh, great post! The comments provide interesting as well as intriguing information too: beautiful lady, stunning, velvety black, shiny, bumpity-bump, nice poison ...
ReplyDeleteI've heard of belladonna of course--but this explains what it is and what it actually does. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteSo interesting! My favorite plant name ever is "deadly nightshade."
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! There's a European writer, last name is Peters, I believe, who writes about a Medieval friar who's also an herbalist. He solves mysteries that usually result from poison.
ReplyDeleteI so love the deadly nightshade family of plants. They reminds me of old time mysteries. Good thing they're not all deadly.
ReplyDeleteA great post. I always enjoy these and am glad to see Belladonna featured. It has such a beautiful name and yet so deadly.
ReplyDeleteMason
Thoughts in Progress
This is really useful info. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day, Boonie
The writer in me loves reading this. The lawyer in me really loves your caveat. I love how you warn people. You are a very talented writer. I like how you so easily combine informative and useful post with just a touch of humor
ReplyDelete