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Atropa belladonna:
The deadly nightshade
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Taxonomy
Kingdom: Plantae
Class: Magnoliophyta
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Atropa
Species: A. belladonna
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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
Devils Herb
Apples of Sodom
Same family as the potatoes,tomatoes, eggplants, tobacco, chilipeppers, etc.
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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
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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
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Species Distribution Native to Eurasia
Naturalized in many parts
of the world
Cultivated/harvested inUS:
California, Oregon,
Washington, Michigan,
New Jersey, New York
Some farms even export
to Europe
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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
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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
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Active Compounds
Tropane Alkaloids
Atropine Hyoscyamine Scopolamine
C17H23NO3 C17H23NO3C17H21NO4
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History of Uses (cont.)
Romans used plant as a weapon Contaminated enemies food storage
Used to poison the troops of MarcusAntonius during the Parthian Wars.
Scottish troops used it during a truce tosubdue the invading Danes. Legend: Scottish troops put belladonna into
enemies liquor supply Waited for enemies to fall asleep and then kill
them
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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
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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 whichAtropa(atropine) was the only antidote
In Tijuana Mexico (1967), people poisoned by insecticide
parathion - when they ate the bread that was exposed tothe chemical
Use of atropine saved many lives
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Uses in Medicine
Slows action of smooth muscle system
Parkinsons symptoms
Irregularities in heart rate Dilates pupils
Reduces salivation
Stomach and bladdercramps
Helps to relax pre-surgery patients
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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.
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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 theother eye progressed naturally.
The control group saw no such benefits from their saline eyedrops.
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Effects on Humans
Increased/rapid heart rate
Fits of laughter
Inability to urinate Dilated pupils
Dryness of mouth
Nausea, vomiting
Muscle failure
Exhaustion
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Signs of Overdose
Stop perspiring
Rise in body temperature
Inability to see or blurred vision Hallucinations
Flushed skin
Confusion Coma
Death
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Harvesting and Processing
- Harvested at full bloom
- Can be harvested as soon asthe first year of growth
(1crop obtained)
- Continue harvesting for 2-4years (2-3 crops)
- Once plant is two years old, can harvest twice ayear: June and September.
- After fourth year, all of plant is cut down and newseeds are planted- Because there is no further increase in alkaloid
content
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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 storedin a 0.9% saline solution
and preservative (benzol
alcohol)
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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
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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 belladonnais a plant that has
ongoing research done on itmainly
to study affects of the tropane alkaloids Maybe theyll accidentally find some
other uses of the plant???
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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 withModerate to Severe Myopia: A Pilot Study. Jpn J Ophthalmol 51, 27-33, 2007.
Simpson, Beryll. Economic Botany: Plants in our World, 3rdEd. McGraw Hill, New York,
2001.
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ATROP
http://www.ams.usda.gov/NOSB/MaterialsReview/ tropineFinalSupplement.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
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ATROPhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/NOSB/MaterialsReview/AtropineFinalSupplement.pdfhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/NOSB/MaterialsReview/AtropineFinalSupplement.pdfhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/NOSB/MaterialsReview/AtropineFinalSupplement.pdfhttp://www.biopix.dk/Photo.asp?PhotoId=1697http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Atropbe.htmhttp://www.eyehealthillinois.org/dilatedbig.htmlhttp://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_belladonna.htmhttp://www.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de/~db26/fotos/_Gift-_und_Arzneipflanzen?C=D%3BO=Ahttp://www.siu.edu/~ebl/leaflets/atropa.htmhttp://www.swsbm.com/Images/New10-2003/Atropa_belladonna-7.jpghttp://www.triora.org/processo_ing.htmlhttp://www.uic.edu/sph/glakes/kids/case1/slides1/ss14.htmhttp://www.whatreallyhappened.com/WITCHES/witches.htmlhttp://www.whatreallyhappened.com/WITCHES/witches.htmlhttp://www.uic.edu/sph/glakes/kids/case1/slides1/ss14.htmhttp://www.triora.org/processo_ing.htmlhttp://www.swsbm.com/Images/New10-2003/Atropa_belladonna-7.jpghttp://www.swsbm.com/Images/New10-2003/Atropa_belladonna-7.jpghttp://www.swsbm.com/Images/New10-2003/Atropa_belladonna-7.jpghttp://www.swsbm.com/Images/New10-2003/Atropa_belladonna-7.jpghttp://www.swsbm.com/Images/New10-2003/Atropa_belladonna-7.jpghttp://www.siu.edu/~ebl/leaflets/atropa.htmhttp://www.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de/~db26/fotos/_Gift-_und_Arzneipflanzen?C=D%3BO=Ahttp://www.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de/~db26/fotos/_Gift-_und_Arzneipflanzen?C=D%3BO=Ahttp://www.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de/~db26/fotos/_Gift-_und_Arzneipflanzen?C=D%3BO=Ahttp://www.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de/~db26/fotos/_Gift-_und_Arzneipflanzen?C=D%3BO=Ahttp://www.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de/~db26/fotos/_Gift-_und_Arzneipflanzen?C=D%3BO=Ahttp://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_belladonna.htmhttp://www.eyehealthillinois.org/dilatedbig.htmlhttp://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Atropbe.htmhttp://www.biopix.dk/Photo.asp?PhotoId=1697http://www.ams.usda.gov/NOSB/MaterialsReview/AtropineFinalSupplement.pdfhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/NOSB/MaterialsReview/AtropineFinalSupplement.pdfhttp://www.ams.usda.gov/NOSB/MaterialsReview/AtropineFinalSupplement.pdfhttp://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ATROP8/10/2019 Atropa Belladonnas07
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Questions??
Thank You!