belladonna /bel·la·don·na/ (bel″ah-don´ah) the deadly nightshade, Atropa belladonna, a perennial plant containing various anticholinergic alkaloids, including atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine, which are used medicinally; however, the plant or its alkaloids can cause poisoning.
belladonna
bel·la·don·na (b l  -d n )n. 1. A poisonous Eurasian perennial herb having usually solitary, purplish-brown, bell-shaped flowers and glossy black berries. Also called deadly nightshade. 2. An alkaloidal extract or tincture derived from this plant. |
belladonna
[bel′ədon′ə, belädôn′ä]
Etymology: It, fair lady
the dried leaves, roots, and flowering or fruiting tops of Atropa belladonna, a common perennial called deadly nightshade, containing the alkaloids hyoscine and hyoscyamine. Hyoscyamine has anticholinergic and antispasmodic properties.
belladonna
Atropa belladonna (deadly nightshade), a plant that is the source of various alkaloids, e.g. atropine, hyoscyamine, etc.
belladonna leaf
the dried leaves and fruiting tops of Atropa belladonna, used as an anticholinergic in the management of gastrointestinal disorders.
belladonna poisoning
a severe toxic condition due to overdosage of belladonna or accidental ingestion of large amounts of the drug. Signs include dryness of the mouth, thirst, dilated pupils, tachycardia, fever and stupor.
atropine
An alkaloid obtained from the belladonna plant. It is an antimuscarinic drug. In the eye it acts as a mydriatic and as a cycloplegic. It paralyses the pupillary sphincter and the ciliary muscle by preventing the action of acetylcholine at the parasympathetic nerve endings. See acetylcholine; cycloplegia; mydriatic.
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