Atropine and the 'beautiful lady'
The deadly nightshade holds a fascinating place in legend, lore, and modern medicine.
Atropine is a naturally occurring alkaloid initially extracted from the deadly nightshade plant. The plant’s genus name, Atropos, refers to Atropos, the ancient Greek fate (the intractable one) who cuts the thread of life, representing the inevitability of death.
The plant's species name, belladonna, ste…
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