Atropa belladonna:

The deadly nightshade

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae

Class: Magnoliophyta

Order: Solanales

Family:Solanaceae

Genus:Atropa

Species: A. belladonna

Taxonomy (cont.)• Atropa

– From the Greek God Atropos• One of the fates that cut the thread of life

• Belladonna– “Beautiful Lady” in Italian

• Common Names:– Deadly Nightshade– Devil’s 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 purplish-

black 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 HyoscyamineScopolamine

C17H23NO3 C17H23NO3 C17H21NO4

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– Parkinson’s 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 eyewhile 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 they’ll “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!