Atropa belladonna, commonly called belladonna or deadly nightshade, is a perennial shrub in the Solanaceae family. The plant has a long history of use as a medicine, an entheogen, a poison, and even a cosmetic. A. belladonna contains various tropine alkaloids including; atropine (used in western medicine to dilate pupils, reduce bronchial secretions, decrease salvation, treat certain kinds of cholinergic poisonings, as well as treatment for diarrhea), scopolamine (used to treat motion sickness, as well as to decrease salivation for surgery), and hyoscyamine (used as an antispasmodic in the gastrointestinal tract, as well as an anti-tremor medication for parkinson’s disease). The tropane alkaloids found in A. belladonna vary greatly in concentration, even with different parts of the same plant. The unpredictability of the concentrations of tropane alkaloids makes the plant difficult to use safely. Some of the tropane alkaloids are able to be absorbed transdermally, so precautions should be taken when working with the species. The antidote for belladonna poisoning is either physostigmine or pilocarpine.
Seeds should be planted at a depth of ⅛” deep in a well draining potting soil. Germination can be slow and sporadic even with optimal conditions, taking anywhere from 20 to 200 days.
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All packages will be shipped with basic customs information such as; HS codes, VAT numbers, and properly labeled contents. Unfortunately, The Garden of Set is unable to provide phytosanitary certificates for orders at this time. It is the buyer’s responsibility to know local laws regarding the import of plants, seeds, and plant products into their country. It is also up to the buyer to provide any other customs forms or information required to import plants into their country. If packages get stopped by customs, The Garden of Set will not be able to provide a refund for the purchase. Most of the time packages make it to their destinations just fine, this is for the small minority of packages that get stopped without having all the proper customs information required by the country of import. Purchase at your own discretion.