Atropa belladona: The Deadly Nightshade
What might a person bothered with intense gas, or flatulence to be blunt, do in today's society? Perhaps they would visit a type of "health food store" for a type of common natural remedy. Often, the mangers at such stores recommend that comphrey tea be taken to relieve the problem. However, after taking just such a concoction of the tea powder and water, one man became light-headed, agitated, confused and had problems urinating. His pupils became dilated, he had a rapid heartbeat and warm dry skin. After admitting himself to the hospital, the doctors concluded that his comphrey tea was "contaminated" by Atropa belladona.....the deadly nightshade.(11)
This very poisonous plant acquired its name from Theophrastus back in the third century B.C. It has been termed "the Mandragora of Theophrastus." It's English name, Dwaule, is derived from a Dutch word dwaul, meaning to wander or to be delirious.(1) It is a perennial herb, and one of the more important species of the nightshade family. Because it is so poisonous it was given the name Atropos, which is the Greek word for inflexible. Another meaning is that it refers to "one of three Fates who cut the thread of life."(2)
Taxonomically, Atropa belladona is classified in the Solanaceae, a family that also includes the common potato, tobacco and chile pepper. This species probably came originally from southern Europe and Asia, but is today naturalized in many parts of the world. The plant itself stands between two and six feet in height. Its green berries change to a shiny purplish-black as the plant matures. Some people say the berry is sweet and others say its bitter tasting, but all agree that the size is like the common cherry. To many, the entire plant has a very nauseating odor. The plant also has a thick root, a five-lobed calyx, leaves that are simple, ovate and alternate, and solitary bell shaped flowers.
Today, belladona is a very important plant to science and the medical field because of its chemical content. Dioscorides knew of the active constituent of this species in the first century, but it wasn't "discovered" for another eighteen hundred-years. In 1809, the chemical was isolated and by 1819 it was classified an "alkaloid." Today, we know that belladona contains atropine, scopolomine and hyoscyamine. According to the U.S. Pharmacopoeia, "atropine is extremely poisonous."(2) It is so potent that a dilution of only 1 part in 130,000 parts water is sufficient to dilate the pupil of a cats eye.
Most of Steinbeck’s work conveys a deeper meaning or message to the readers, and The Grapes of Wrath presents no exception, as redemption’s prevalence influences the growth of each character. Although the book ends with a tragic flood after the family has faced the loss of Rose of Sharon’s newborn baby, the novel still ends in happiness, since characters such as Jim Casy, Uncle John, Tom Joad, and Rose of Sharon attain redemption and in doing so, become saviors for migrant families. Steinbeck manifests the idea the migration did not necessarily implicate the Joads would find prosperity in the promised land of California, but would instead fulfill the quest for absolution, which results in their heroic
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colic but only relieves minuscule amounts of gas pains. Breast milk is the only natural, complete
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... measure the females go through includes cosmetic surgery. America’s obsession with cosmetic surgery comes from the media’s expectations of appearing young and beautiful. A multitude of females, famous and nonfamous, have gotten cosmetic surgery, some more than once, to make them look how society expects them to look. Cosmetic surgery can sometimes be very dangerous. If the procedure is not done correctly, then it can result in serious injuries or even death. Females try so hard to make themselves look like the media’s depiction of the “perfect woman,” but the perfect image cannot be achieved. Every female is beautiful in their own way.Trying to look like the “perfect woman” is not worth dying over. Beauty is only skin deep, we are going to lose the ones that we love and the people around us if something is not done about the portrayal of body image in the media.
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Atropine has been in use for centuries, however its medicinal capability has not always been known. Atropine is found naturally in a few plants most notably the infamous Atropa Belladonna, or deadly night shade. As its name implies, deadly night shade is a poisonous plant of which atropine is one of the main poisons. Atropine was first isolated from jimson weed, a more common plant than deadly nightshade, by Greiger and Hesse in 1833. Atropine is extracted commercially from jimson weed and can be used for a few uses, mainly as a heart medication or treatment for cholinesterase agents. 1
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