Western Herbalism
Deadly nightshade
Atropa belladonna
Also known as Belladonna, Dwale, Oregon Grape, Mountain Grape, Black cherry.
Low dose herb, use caution Leaf is less potent than root Atropine to scopolamine ratio is 20:1 Toxicity treatment=Call 911, GI lavage, induce vomiting, tannins Remember red as a beet, dry as a bone, mad as a hatter, blind as a bat
Ask Herbert about Deadly nightshade. Herbert is the master herbalist inside Bountiful Herbs: he answers from this plate and eleven hundred others, with dosing, pairing and cautions. Your first ten questions are free.
Ask HerbertActions
Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Excessive salivation
- Gall bladder spasms
- Spastic constipation
- Headache (congestive, dull & throbbing)
- Gastrointestinal cramps (severe)
- Gastritis
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Urinary incontinence
- Peptic ulcer disease
- Pain
- Hyperhidrosis
- Pain (severe)
- Organophosphate poisoning
- Colic
- Cramps
- Muscle spasms
Safety
Recognised toxicity. This plant carries a toxicity flag in the record; it is for trained practitioners only.
Low dose botanical. Used in drop doses in the classical practice; not a plant to dose freely.
Pregnancy: Not for use in pregnancy
The record lists 11 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Tincture (1:10) | 6-10 gtts TID (always start low) OR put 30 gtts in 4 oz water and dispense 1 tsp q 1-2 hrs | 0.12-0.2 mL |
| Children | up to 10 gtts in 4 oz water, 1 tsp q 1-2 hrs | 0.5 mL |
| Atropine Sulphae, Atropine Sulphate | Dose, 1-120 to 1-60 of a grain. | 64.8-64.8 mg |
| Extractum Belladonnae Foliorum Alcoholicum, Alcoholic Extract of Belladonna Leaves | Dose, one quarter to one-half of a grain. | 16.2-64.8 mg |
| Tinctura Belladonnae Foliorum, Tincture of Belladonna Leaves | Dose, from one to thirty minims. | 0.06-1.85 mL |
| Extractum Belladonnae Radicis Fluidum, Fluid Extract of Belladonna Root | Dose, from one to five minims. | 0.06-0.31 mL |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Clinical Notes. Low dose herb, use caution Leaf is less potent than root Atropine to scopolamine ratio is 20:1 Toxicity treatment=Call 911, GI lavage, induce vomiting, tannins Remember red as a beet, dry as a bone, mad as a hatter, blind as a bat
Therapy. External. Belladonna, and more rarely atropine, may be applied for the relief of pain and spasm, and especially for spasmodic pain. A lotion of belladonna (5 to 10 per cent) may be used to allay itching in general pruritus, eczema, and urticaria.
Therapy. Internal. Belladonna is employed in Eclectic Therapeutics in doses which produce exactly the opposite effects from the gross or physiologic and toxic action. Large doses paralyze; small doses stimulate.
Action and Therapy. This agent is alterative, tonic, and probably corrective to syphilitic constitutions, but without any proved specific action upon treponema. It stimulates secretion and excretion, improves digestion and assimilation; it activates the lymphatic system and ductless glands; and augments the renal secretion.
Drawn from Scudder's Specific Medication and Specific Medicines; King's American Dispensatory, 18th edition (Felter and Lloyd); Ellingwood's American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy; Felter's Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and the Bountiful Herbs editorial.
In formulas
Deadly nightshade stands in 45 documented formulas in the library, among them Antimicrobial Formula, Eczema & Chronic Skin Formula, yín giáo sǎn, yin giáo mǎ bó sǎn, xuǎn dú fà bião tāng, thú yè chêng liu tàng.
Often paired with
BurdockArctium lappa
Licorice rootGlycyrrhiza glabra
Balloon Flower RootPlatycodon grandiflorus
Chinese mintMentha canadensis
Jing JieSchizonepeta tenuifolia
Lian QiaoForsythia suspensaNearby on the shelf
Dan ShenSalvia miltiorrhiza
DandelionTaraxacum officinale
Date palmPhoenix dactylifera
DavanaArtemisia pallens
Delphinium staphisagriaDelphinium staphisagria
Desert GinsengCistanche deserticola
Desert parsleyLomatium dissectum
Devil's clawHarpagophytum procumbensThe whole plate is in the library. The compass, Compare, the Sky of eleven hundred plants and the formulary open with an email address and a password, free, with the formula builder and its safety engine. Herbert without limit, his formulating, clients, the handouts and the labels are the paid room.
Open the library, free