Belladonna, commonly referred to as deadly nightshade (AKA devil’s cherries, devil’s herb, divale, dwale, dwayberry, great morel, naughty man’s cherries, and poison black cherry) is a poisonous perennial herb.

Belladonna is native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia and cultivated in North America and the United Kingdom.

Belladonna was one of the very first homeopathic treatments, developed in 1799 by Hahnemann for scarlet fever. It was soon after he discovered that signs and symptoms of Belladonna poisoning very closely matched up with those of scarlet fever did he come up with the remedy.

Belladonna alkaloids, the active ingredients of the plant, include atropine and scopolamine. Belladonna is a toxic Eurasian perennial herb (Atropa belladonna) having typically solitary, nodding, purplish-brown, bell-shaped flowers and shiny dark colored berries.  In fact, 5 berries can kill a child and between 10 and 20 can kill an adult.

However, given in small amounts, it can be used to cure the flu and to dilate pupils. Sometimes it’s combined with other drugs to treat patients.  Belladonna has a long history of medicinal applications , its been highly valued for its therapeutic properties for over more than five centuries.

Belladonna homeopathy can remedy ailments that have signs and symptoms similar to the side effects of belladonna poisoning.

Some homeopathic uses for belladonna include the scarlet fever. Its berries cause high fever, sore throat or loss of voice, nausea, delirium, muscle spasms, flushed skin and dilated pupils. These types of symptoms can be cured with the belladonna homeopathy.

Other uses include treating cold and flu symptoms, headaches, earaches, seizures, pink eye, nephritis, teething pain, acne, infections with inflammation, boils, labor pain, nose bleed, restless sleep, tonsillitis and even sunburn! Female also use it to treat urinary infections, irritated nipples (due to breast feeding) and menstrual cramps.

This is one of the many cases in which science overcomes nature. With a plant that was poisonous, it’s possible to actually create the cure to several bothering symptoms. While deadly in some cases, these uses make the belladonna homeopathy extremely useful in a whole lot of others.