Belladonna

Belladonna

Belladonna is a plant. The leaf and root are used to make medicine.

The name “belladonna” means “beautiful lady,” and was chosen because of a risky practice in Italy. The belladonna berry juice was used historically in Italy to enlarge the pupils of women, giving them a striking appearance. This was not a good idea, because belladonna can be poisonous.

Though widely regarded as unsafe, belladonna is used as a sedative, to stop bronchial spasms in asthma and whooping cough, and as a cold and hay fever remedy. It is also used for Parkinson's disease, colic, motion sickness, and as a painkiller.

Belladonna is used in ointments that are applied to the skin for joint pain (rheumatism), leg pain caused by a disc in the backbone pushing on the sciatic nerve (sciatica), and nerve pain (neuralgia). Belladonna is also used in plasters (medicine-filled gauze applied to the skin) for treating psychiatric disorders, a behavior disorder called hyperkinesis, excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis), and bronchial asthma.

Rectally, belladonna is used in hemorrhoid suppositories.

The effectiveness of BELLADONNA is showing in:

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
• Asthma.
• Whooping cough.
• Colds.
• Hay fever.
• Parkinson's disease.
• Motion sickness.
• Arthritis-like pain.
• Nerve problems.
• Hemorrhoids.
• Spasms and colic-like pain in the stomach and bile ducts.

Belladonna has chemicals that can block functions of the body's nervous system. Some of the bodily functions regulated by the nervous system include salivation, sweating, pupil size, urination, digestive functions, and others.


Special precautions & warnings:

• Belladonna is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth during pregnancy.
• Belladonna might cause rapid heartbeat (tachycardia) and might make CHF worse.
• Belladonna might make constipation worse.
• Belladonna might make stomach ulcers worse.