Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,907,120,357 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

belladonna

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
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.
bel·la·don·na (bl-dn)
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 [bel″ah-don´ah]
Atropa belladonna (deadly nightshade), a plant that is the source of numerous alkaloids, such as atropine and hyoscyamine.
the dried leaves and fruiting tops of this plant, used in the pharmacologic preparation of anticholinergic medications for treatment of peptic ulcer and other gastrointestinal disorders. Also known as belladonna leaf.
belladonna poisoning a severe toxic condition due to accidental or purposeful overdosage of belladonna. (Some herbal remedies and over the counter medications have it as an ingredient, or the plant or parts of it may be ingested.) Symptoms include dryness of the mouth, thirst, dilated pupils, flushed skin or rash on the face, neck, and upper trunk, tachycardia, fever, delirium, and stupor.

Treatment of belladonna poisoning will depend on the patient, dose, and route of administration. A poison control center or emergency services should be contacted immediately if poisoning occurs in the home. Airway maintenance, monitoring, administration of activated charcoal, and control of temperature will be done in the clinical setting.

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.


Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Add definition
Mentioned in?   Medical browser?   Full browser?
 
 
 
Medical Dictionary
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.