Plant Poison: Exploring the Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna)
Poison!!! Hey everyone, welcome to this post. In my previous article, we discussed a well-known plant poison called Ricin, often chosen for assassination attempts. While we cannot confirm whether former President Obama ever received a Ricin Letter bomb, the seriousness of this poison cannot be ignored. However, when it comes to the most lethal plant poison, we need to shift our focus to a different deadly substance: Atropa belladonna, commonly known as Deadly Nightshade.
Atropa belladonna lives in the forest of Europe, has dark-looking berries which are catchy to the eyes, and it is delicious. Oh Yummy like I should have a bite but damn, I won't because it is far more deadly than Ricin. It is surprising that this plant belongs to the family of so many of our daily used fruit plants such as pepper, tomatoes, and potatoes which is Solanaceae.
While the fruit is delicious according to people who have had a taste of it, I wouldn't dare because it contains alkaloids like Atropine and Scopolamine. The effect of this plant is not all shades of black, as it is used in pupil dilation, and it is used in treating pain associated with childbirth. So we will say it is gray and not all shades of black. Actually, the plant poison is based on the dose being delivered.
When someone is poisoned by Deadly Nightshade, it primarily targets the neurotransmitters responsible for carrying signals from the central nervous system (CNS) to acetylcholine receptors in the muscles. These receptors play a crucial role in regulating heart rate and stimulating sweat glands. Once the poison enters the body, it disrupts these neurotransmitters, preventing acetylcholine from transmitting signals to the muscles. This leads to a range of symptoms, including increased body temperature (fever), dilated pupils, and, in severe cases, an almost invisible iris. Poisoned individuals may also experience hallucinations, delirium, a lack of sweat, and seizures.
Although this may sound like a story from a novel or an unimaginable scenario, let's travel back in time to the United Kingdom 29 years ago. In a shocking incident, a biologist named Paul Agutter poisoned his wife using Atropine obtained from the biology lab where he worked. Miraculously, his wife survived, but this incident serves as a stark reminder of the high toxicity of this plant and underscores the importance of proper dosage. I must emphasize that attempting to extract Atropine for malicious purposes is extremely dangerous. Furthermore, it's worth noting that while Atropine from Atropa belladonna is poisonous, it also serves as an antidote for nerve gas poisoning.
If we consider properly these plant poisons, we would see that they have both their downsides and their upsides, One thing I would never do as an individual is to eat any fruit I am not familiar with or ingest any plant I am not conversant with. You see, in Nigeria, we have what we refer to as Agbo (yoruba) which literarily means Herbal concoction. There have been cases where people mix plants they are not familiar with, leading to poisoning, and this has made me stay clear of such treatment, seeing that it has no measure, and since I am not familiar with the plants used.
I am intrigued by the fact that you recognize that a plant is poisonous thanks to its properties, I had heard of this plant, however, I had never heard that it was poisonous, thanks for the information.
Personally, I do not like Agbo, and so many young people in Nigeria do not like agbo, but they do not have a choice. If they fall sick close to their elderly parents, they will be agbolized. They will be baptized in agbo, soaked in Agbo, and given agbo. I hope there can be more education on the use of agbo and the dosage, thank goodness for so many herbal companies that is starting to modernize it, but while our aged parents can identify the leaves they used and always use, a lot of people unintentionally poison themselves in the hope to treat themselves with herbs that they do not know.
Thanks for your contribution to the STEMsocial community. Feel free to join us on discord to get to know the rest of us!
Please consider delegating to the @stemsocial account (85% of the curation rewards are returned).
Thanks for including @stemsocial as a beneficiary, which gives you stronger support.
I guess traditional medicine men had an impressive toolbox at their disposal!
the plant doesn't look dangerous