Poisonous plants Black nightshade

Other plants of the nightshade family, including Atropa belladonna (deadly nightshade), Hyoscyamus niger (black henbane), and Datura stramonium (Jimson weed), contain atropine-like toxins that are anticholinergic, blocking the muscarinic receptors. An incidence in southern Utah of cattle poisoned on black henbane, with many death losses, was recently reported (Pfister, 2003). Atropine and atropine-like alkaloids are discussed Section 2.2.1.7. 

The nightshade family of plants includes some very popular foods tomatoes sweet and hot peppers, eggplants, and potatoes It also includes tobacco and some poisonous plants that are infamous because of their associations with crime, witchcraft, and black magic. Even dieir names are sinister, henbane, mandrake, and deadly nightshade, for example. Nightshades look scary, too. They are rank, hairy plants with strange smells and peculiar flower some have dangerous fruit... 

Poisonous properties.—The amount of poison present in any part of this plant varies with the conditions of growth. The more musky-odored plants are the most poisonous. In some, the amount of alkaloid in the ripe fruit and leaves is so small that these parts may be, and are, consumed in considerable quantity without any ill consequences. Poisoning does sometimes follow, but it is not clear whether this is due to improper preparation or to careless selection of the parts used. The use of black nightshade for food is certainly not to be recommended. Cases of poisoning are recorded for calves, sheep, goats, and swine. 

Beladonna A poisonous plant with reddish beU-shaoed flowers and black berries deadly nightshade. A drug, also called atropine, obtained from this plant and used to dilate the puDll of the eye, stimulate the heart, relieve spasms, etc. 

The berries of the black nightshade plant Solanum nigrum) are a source of the poisonous alkaloid solanine. 

The fruit of a plant (of the family Solanaceae that is believed to have originated in Africa. Garden huckleberries bear a close resemblance to the berries of the poisonous black nightshade, except that the former are a little larger. 

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