Atropa belladona: The Deadly Nightshade
What might a person bothered with intense gas, or flatulence to be blunt, do in today's society? Perhaps they would visit a type of "health food store" for a type of common natural remedy. Often, the mangers at such stores recommend that comphrey tea be taken to relieve the problem. However, after taking just such a concoction of the tea powder and water, one man became light-headed, agitated, confused and had problems urinating. His pupils became dilated, he had a rapid heartbeat and warm dry skin. After admitting himself to the hospital, the doctors concluded that his comphrey tea was "contaminated" by Atropa belladona.....the deadly nightshade.(11)
This very poisonous plant acquired its name from Theophrastus back in the third century B.C. It has been termed "the Mandragora of Theophrastus." It's English name, Dwaule, is derived from a Dutch word dwaul, meaning to wander or to be delirious.(1) It is a perennial herb, and one of the more important species of the nightshade family. Because it is so poisonous it was given the name Atropos, which is the Greek word for inflexible. Another meaning is that it refers to "one of three Fates who cut the thread of life."(2)
Taxonomically, Atropa belladona is classified in the Solanaceae, a family that also includes the common potato, tobacco and chile pepper. This species probably came originally from southern Europe and Asia, but is today naturalized in many parts of the world. The plant itself stands between two and six feet in height. Its green berries change to a shiny purplish-black as the plant matures. Some people say the berry is sweet and others say its bitter tasting, but all agree that the size is like the common cherry. To many, the entire plant has a very nauseating odor. The plant also has a thick root, a five-lobed calyx, leaves that are simple, ovate and alternate, and solitary bell shaped flowers.
Today, belladona is a very important plant to science and the medical field because of its chemical content. Dioscorides knew of the active constituent of this species in the first century, but it wasn't "discovered" for another eighteen hundred-years. In 1809, the chemical was isolated and by 1819 it was classified an "alkaloid." Today, we know that belladona contains atropine, scopolomine and hyoscyamine. According to the U.S. Pharmacopoeia, "atropine is extremely poisonous."(2) It is so potent that a dilution of only 1 part in 130,000 parts water is sufficient to dilate the pupil of a cats eye.
... measure the females go through includes cosmetic surgery. America’s obsession with cosmetic surgery comes from the media’s expectations of appearing young and beautiful. A multitude of females, famous and nonfamous, have gotten cosmetic surgery, some more than once, to make them look how society expects them to look. Cosmetic surgery can sometimes be very dangerous. If the procedure is not done correctly, then it can result in serious injuries or even death. Females try so hard to make themselves look like the media’s depiction of the “perfect woman,” but the perfect image cannot be achieved. Every female is beautiful in their own way.Trying to look like the “perfect woman” is not worth dying over. Beauty is only skin deep, we are going to lose the ones that we love and the people around us if something is not done about the portrayal of body image in the media.
In this article, you are informed about a disease that is occurring more often in our society. It is commonly referred to as “heartburn” but is more appropriately named acid reflux disease or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Most people suffer from this disease, but think nothing of it. Perhaps they have felt it after a big meal, lying down after eating, during pregnancy, or even when bending over. Most people feel that GERD occurs after eating spicy foods, when in fact the major cause of GERD is fatty foods and the quantity of foods eaten.
about 0.5 to 2.5 percent of this plant substance. The drug has been in use since
Most of Steinbeck’s work conveys a deeper meaning or message to the readers, and The Grapes of Wrath presents no exception, as redemption’s prevalence influences the growth of each character. Although the book ends with a tragic flood after the family has faced the loss of Rose of Sharon’s newborn baby, the novel still ends in happiness, since characters such as Jim Casy, Uncle John, Tom Joad, and Rose of Sharon attain redemption and in doing so, become saviors for migrant families. Steinbeck manifests the idea the migration did not necessarily implicate the Joads would find prosperity in the promised land of California, but would instead fulfill the quest for absolution, which results in their heroic
Using plastic bags were something everyone feels bad using. We use them everyday in some form or another, but we tend to forget the bad that they do. Plastic bags should not be used or allowed in the U.S because it tends to do more harm than good in our society or world.
The article Plastic bags are Good for you, by Katherine Mangu-Ward was written to explore the pro’s and con’s of three different types of bags. Which is better between plastic, paper, or reusable bags has always been a debatable question with an opinionated answer. In the article Mangu-Ward characterizes the cause and effect relationships which have lead to the unpopularity of plastic bags in terms of guilt.
Media has a heavy influence on women’s perception of themselves and conforming to the world has grown into a normal occurrence. Girls want to be deemed beautiful by society so badly that they will conform to any idea presented by the media (Piercy). Technology has made it near impossible to avoid images of stick thin models and advertisements on getting thin quick. Media has made women conform to their idea of the perfect body and the perfect weight. Magazines are read by millions of women every day, and they do not portray real images of models. They are air-brushed, photo shopped, and computer generated versions of those women (Eating Disorders and Media Influence). Cheri K. Erdman expresses, “Even the models we see in magazines wish they could look like their own images.” Magazine articles on having the best hair and the best skin conform women’s minds to the idea that being “perfect” is their only option. “Does...
However, despite the premise of popular participation in politics, recent years have seen a decline in voter turnout during elections. (Wong, Lecture, October 24) This may be the result of a general lack of interest or, more likely, a loss of trust in politicians. Modern democracy is intended to be representative, yet it seems that corruption and political domination by the upper class have resulted in public disillusionment in politics. In India, for example, polls have shown that the majority prefers democracy, but the level of trust in elected officials is very low due to wealth-based campaigning, nepotism, and lack of transparency (Sen, pg. 90) in the election system. Thus it can be said that in democratic countries where corruption is prevalent, democracy can be undermined by an undemocratic system.
The debate of whether plastic bags are more beneficial to the environment and our community continues to find little resolution. Although there’s an abundant opposition to the use of plastic bags, the benefits of using plastic bags should be acknowledge. Manufacturing and the usage of plastic bags produce less pollution, require little energy, and is efficient for recycling; therefore, our community should avoid limiting the use of plastic bags because plastic is a valuable material.
The tarantella has a very interesting history. Its name derives from a little southern town of Italy called Taranto. It was believed that if a spider called the tarantula bit the townspeople, the only way to survive its bite was to do a dance called the Tarantella. The locals believed this was the only cure. If the people bitten did not dance they would suffer severe pain, muscle spasms, vomiting; most eventually died.
All of the plants in the nightshade family are nitrogen containing plants, including nicotine. Nitrogen is the second most important supplements for plant growth, below water. Nitrogen can be found in many different forms. It moves around natural ecosystems through the nitrogen cycle. The different forms of nitrogen decide its whether or not it is available to plants or whether it escapes and is no longer able to provide plants. The amount of useable nitrogen and the percent that is lost from the soil affects the supportability of productivity. If it is mishandled it is possible to have economic loss to the producer and have an environmental
Atropine has been in use for centuries, however its medicinal capability has not always been known. Atropine is found naturally in a few plants most notably the infamous Atropa Belladonna, or deadly night shade. As its name implies, deadly night shade is a poisonous plant of which atropine is one of the main poisons. Atropine was first isolated from jimson weed, a more common plant than deadly nightshade, by Greiger and Hesse in 1833. Atropine is extracted commercially from jimson weed and can be used for a few uses, mainly as a heart medication or treatment for cholinesterase agents. 1
Stanley, Janet E., Stanley J. Watson, and John A. Benson. Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. Washington D.C.: National Academy P, 1999.
On the month of March of 2013, the House Committee of Urban Affairs had proposed the bill HB 2416 that requires for retailers whom use plastic bags when doing check-outs to have the plastic bags be charged a fee or simply to not use any plastic bags. The policy issue of having a ban towards plastic bags is important for many reasons, they are wrecking the environment and costing hundreds and thousands of dollars in the process. According to the Corpus Christi Plastic Bag Ordinance (2012), Corpus Christi’s Solid Waste Department spends $190,000 each year to pick up loose bags, the C.C’s Municipal Marina spends $4,320 in labor for staff to clean up, and the Parks and Recreational Department spent $125,000 to have trash removed from the Gulf Beaches, the lists keeps going giving an outrageous number of amounts spent on cleaning up bags that many citizens do not know about. Not only that, but all over town plastic bags are clogging water drains, contaminating and preventing the water from flowing properly. These problems and costs all add up in the end when many plastic bags are being utilized for items each and every day, whether it be single-bagged or double-bagged, especially when people seem to want a plastic bag when it is unnecessary, they tend to request a bag to just hold one or two items that can be easily be carried by hand.
...ing into rivers, which lead to oceans (Gold). California lawmakers proposed a statewide ban on plastic bags to decrease the amount of plastic in the environment and limit the materials needed to create the plastic bags (Ross). Legislation in New York City requires customers to purchase their plastic bags which would make them want to buy reusable bags instead (Ross). Moreover, people become aware of pollution and try to put an end to it by creating new and improved laws and regulations.