Atropa belladonna The deadly nightshade Taxonomy Kingdom Class
Atropa belladonna: The deadly nightshade
Taxonomy Kingdom: Class: Order: Family: Genus: Species: Plantae Magnoliophyta Solanales Solanaceae Atropa A. belladonna
• Atropa Taxonomy (cont. ) – 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 purplishblack 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 -2 oz 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 C 17 H 23 NO 3 Hyoscyamine C 17 H 23 NO 3 Scopolamine C 17 H 21 NO 4
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 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 eye while 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 (1 crop 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, 3 rd Ed. Mc. Graw Hill, New York, 2001. http: //plants. usda. gov/java/profile? symbol=ATROP http: //www. ams. usda. gov/NOSB/Materials. Review/Atropine. Final. Supplement. pdf http: //www. biopix. dk/Photo. asp? Photo. Id=1697 http: //www. ces. ncsu. edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Atropbe. htm http: //www. eyehealthillinois. org/dilatedbig. html http: //www. herbs 2000. com/herbs_belladonna. htm http: //www. rz. uni-karlsruhe. de/~db 26/fotos/_Gift-_und_Arzneipflanzen? C=D%3 BO=A http: //www. siu. edu/~ebl/leaflets/atropa. htm http: //www. swsbm. com/Images/New 10 -2003/Atropa_belladonna-7. jpg http: //www. triora. org/processo_ing. html http: //www. uic. edu/sph/glakes/kids/case 1/slides 1/ss 14. htm http: //www. whatreallyhappened. com/WITCHES/witches. html
Questions? ? Thank You!
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