nightshade, Atropa belladonna, often occurs in Polish forests, most often on their edges. It is most often confused with a blueberry, but people who do not have much knowledge about plants may also confuse it with a blueberry. How to recognize it and what to watch out for?
Is belladonna poisonous? Fruit was more popular than arsenic
Nightshade is a small plant, usually reaching approx. 50-150 cm. The stems are purple, brown or green with a tint and usually grow into three branches. They are characteristic, ovoid in shape, narrowing at the base and up to 25 cm long. Nightshade flowers are bell-shaped and have yellow-purple flowers. Fruits with a sweet taste and the size of a cherry also have a purple to black color. The shiny berries look a bit like blueberries, but they are darker and much shinier.
Nightshade Nightshade. Photo Miltos Gikas / flickr.com, Photo. Andreas Rockstein / flickr.com, CC BY 2.0
Atropa belladonna is one of the most toxic and poisonous plants that can be found in Poland. In ancient times it was said to “bring death” and with good reason. Although the fruit was used, among others, for the production of lip dyes, and women put the extract in their eyes to dilate their pupils and appear more beautiful, the blackberry also had another, slightly less glorious use. It was even more popular than arsenic. In the past, belladonna was also used to kill wolves.
Watch out for the shrub weevil. A mistake can be fatal. 3 berries are enough
To this day, it is used in the production of preparations, medicines and as a medicinal raw material. Nightshade is used, among others, in eye drops (with atropine), but also in the treatment of asthma, cough and renal colic.
The poison L-hyoscyamine and atropine are found in all parts of the plant, especially in the fruit. A lethal dose is considered to be 3-4 berries in children and more than 10 in adults
– they warn. Under no circumstances should you collect it, so as not to expose yourself to the risk of serious poisoning or death.
Source: Gazeta
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