belladonna

Atropa belladonna. The genus name comes from Atropos, the Greek Fate who cut the thread of life. The species name means 'beautiful woman' in Italian. Together: the beautiful woman who kills you. The naming is precise. The plant is one of the most toxic in the Western Hemisphere, and it was used as a cosmetic.

Renaissance Italian women applied belladonna extract to their eyes. The active compound, atropine, dilates the pupils. Dilated pupils were considered alluring — they made eyes look larger, darker, more receptive. The practice was common enough that the plant earned its name from the beauty routine. Venetian courtesans were particularly associated with its use. The side effects included blurred vision, rapid heartbeat, hallucinations, and — in higher doses — death.

The toxicity was well known and separately exploited. Macbeth (the historical one, not Shakespeare's) reportedly used belladonna to poison English soldiers during a truce in 1040 CE, spiking their drink supply. Livia, wife of Emperor Augustus, was rumored to have used it as a poison. The plant appears in virtually every historical account of deliberate poisoning in Europe between the Roman period and the 19th century.

Atropine, isolated from belladonna in 1833, became one of the most important drugs in medicine. Ophthalmologists still use it to dilate pupils for eye exams. It treats nerve agent poisoning, cardiac arrest, and organophosphate exposure. Military personnel carry atropine auto-injectors. The beautiful lady's cosmetic became the soldier's antidote.