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belladonna
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Belladonna
Poisonous plant belonging to the nightshade family, found in Europe and Asia. It grows to 1.5 m/5 ft in height, with dull green leaves growing in unequal pairs, up to 20 cm/8 in long, and single purplish flowers that produce deadly black berries. Drugs are made from the leaves. (Atropa belladonna, family Solanaceae.)
The dried powdered leaves are used to produce the drugs atropine and hyoscine. Belladonna extract acts medicinally as an anticholinergic (blocking the passage of certain nerve impulses), and is highly poisonous in large doses.
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