Belladonna

Its name is Italian for "beautiful woman." But don't be deceived. This woman is a murderer in disguise and is more formally known as Deadly Nightshade. A perennial herbaceous plant in the Solanaceae family with bell-shaped purple flowers and glossy blackberries, belladonna is extremely poisonous. The shrub grows naturally in wooded regions, along trails, and along the banks of rivers. It is indigenous to Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia.

The plant's root, which typically has the highest level of toxicity, contains tropane alkaloids, which paralyze the heart and other involuntary muscles in the body. Additionally, belladonna has a long history of use as a toxin, cosmetic, and drug.

Women, for instance, utilized the juice from the berries in eye drops during the Renaissance to enlarge the pupils in order to make the eyes appear more alluring. The extract was frequently employed as a toxic elixir in ancient Rome, and it is believed that Livia Drusilla, a Roman empress, used it to assassinate her husband, Augustus.