What it says
Belladonna speaks of silence and the danger of seduction. The name is Italian: Venetian women instilled it in their eyes to dilate the pupil and produce a dark, brilliant gaze.
The effect is real — atropine paralyses the muscle that contracts the iris — and comes with blurred vision and photophobia. The beauty cost a temporary half-blindness.
The plant
A perennial of woodland edges and chalky soils, with discreet brown-purple bell flowers, followed by glossy black berries the size of cherries. That resemblance is what makes it dangerous: they look edible and taste sweet.
Toxicity
The whole plant is violently toxic, the berries especially. Two or three berries can kill a child; around ten, an adult. Symptoms — dry mouth, dilated pupils, racing heart, confusion, hallucination — appear within the hour.
If ingestion is suspected, call emergency services immediately. Do not induce vomiting. Take a fragment of the plant for identification.
The medicine
Atropine, extracted from belladonna, is on the World Health Organization's list of essential medicines. It is used in ophthalmology, anaesthesia, cardiology to raise a slow heart rate, and as an antidote to certain poisonings.
This is entirely ordinary in pharmacology: the same molecule heals and kills, and only the dose separates them.
our piece on flower symbolism places belladonna among the flowers of shadow.
This page is informational. If accidental ingestion is suspected, contact a poison control centre.