So, I was walking out behind my place the other day and saw some yummy looking berries. Not being an idiot, I decided to do a little research on them before attempting to ingest any.
Good thing I did.
Say hello to Atropa Belladonna or what is more commonly known as Deadly Nightshade:
This innocent looking plant is one of the most toxic found in the Western hemisphere.
All parts of the plant contain Tropane Alkaloids, toxins that include Scopolamine and Hyoscyamine which can cause a bizarre delirium and hallucinations.
The drug Atropine is derived from the plant.
Consumption of two to five berries by children, ten to twenty by adults or the ingestion of a single leaf of the plant can be lethal.
The symptoms of Nightshade poisoning include dilated pupils, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, tachycardia, loss of balance, staggering, headache, rash, flushing, dry mouth and throat, slurred speech, urinary retention, constipation, confusion, hallucinations, delirium, and convulsions.....FUN!
The plant's deadly symptoms are caused by Atropine's disruption of the parasympathetic nervous system's ability to regulate non-volitional/subconscious activities such as sweating, breathing, and heart rate.
Nightshade has occasionally been used as a recreational drug because of the vivid hallucinations and delirium that it produces. These hallucinations are most commonly described as very unpleasant, however, and recreational use is considered extremely dangerous because of the high risk of unintentional fatal overdose.
Good thing I did.
Say hello to Atropa Belladonna or what is more commonly known as Deadly Nightshade:
This innocent looking plant is one of the most toxic found in the Western hemisphere.
All parts of the plant contain Tropane Alkaloids, toxins that include Scopolamine and Hyoscyamine which can cause a bizarre delirium and hallucinations.
The drug Atropine is derived from the plant.
Consumption of two to five berries by children, ten to twenty by adults or the ingestion of a single leaf of the plant can be lethal.
The symptoms of Nightshade poisoning include dilated pupils, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, tachycardia, loss of balance, staggering, headache, rash, flushing, dry mouth and throat, slurred speech, urinary retention, constipation, confusion, hallucinations, delirium, and convulsions.....FUN!
The plant's deadly symptoms are caused by Atropine's disruption of the parasympathetic nervous system's ability to regulate non-volitional/subconscious activities such as sweating, breathing, and heart rate.
Nightshade has occasionally been used as a recreational drug because of the vivid hallucinations and delirium that it produces. These hallucinations are most commonly described as very unpleasant, however, and recreational use is considered extremely dangerous because of the high risk of unintentional fatal overdose.
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