BELLADONNA

tall bushy herb, the deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), of the family Solanaceae (order Solanales), and the crude drug consisting of its dried leaves or roots. The plant, which grows to about 1.5 m (4-5 feet) tall, is a native of wooded or waste areas in central and southern Eurasia. It has dull green leaves, violet or greenish flowers in the axils of the leaves or in the forks of branches, shiny black berries about the size of cherries, and a large tapering root. Belladonna is highly poisonous and is cultivated in France and elsewhere for the medicinal alkaloids hyoscyamine, hyoscine, and atropine, which are derived from the crude drug and are used in sedatives, stimulants, and antispasmodics. Because of toxicity and undesirable side effects, these alkaloids are being superseded by synthetic drugs.