A poisonous plant with shiny black berries, also known as deadly nightshade, that was historically used in tiny amounts for medicine and cosmetics.
From Italian 'bella donna,' meaning 'beautiful woman.' Renaissance women used the plant's extract to dilate their pupils, which they considered attractive; the name reflects this historical beauty practice.
Renaissance women literally poisoned themselves for beauty—they put belladonna drops in their eyes to make their pupils huge because they thought it made them look more attractive and mysterious. Talk about beauty standards gone wrong!
Etymology 'beautiful woman' reflects Renaissance cosmetic poison: femininity coded as lethal. Gendered the toxin itself.
Use botanical/chemical name 'deadly nightshade' or 'Atropa belladonna' in scientific contexts.
["deadly nightshade","Atropa belladonna"]
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