Belladonna - The Homeopathic Remedy

General description and domicile:
Originally widespread over the Northern Hemisphere Belladonna is now cultivated all over the world. It is an attractive plant with oval green leaves and pink/purple bell shaped flowers that appear in July or early spring. The perennial plant produces bright red berries about two moths after flowering that turn black on ripening.

Although there is some controversy around the origin of the name it is generally accepted that it was named after Atropos the Greek god that held power of life or death over mortal;s.

Warning: Extreme care must be taken when handling this plant as very little contact with Belladonna can be fatal.

Part used and extraction:
All of the plant is used, harvested in the flowering season.

Remedy preparation:
Chopped and steeped in alcohol to obtain mother tincture

History:
The name "Bella Donna" (beautiful lady) does not refer to the aesthetics of the plant, which is rather pretty, but the practice, dating back to medieval times, of Italian women putting drops extracted from Belladonna in their eyes to dilate the pupils to enhance their appearance.

Despite the awesome reputation this herb had in witchcraft and the general acceptance that it contains a deadly poison many a child was tempted to eat the fruit with, almost always, fatal results. It is hard to believe that something so evil can look so pretty and wholesome.

Belladonna was used as an antispasmodic and to relieve stress in herbal medicine and although it was reported to be very effective, that practice also resulted in many poisonings.

Hahnemann, who conducted many of his provings by observing and questioning poison victims, noticed a strong correlation between the effects of Belladonna poisoning and the symptoms of scarlet fever adding Belladonna to his remedies at the end of the eighteenth century.

How to use these pages:
What follows below is a profile of the homeopathic remedy. This profile must be compared with the profile of the person to be treated in great detail before treatment can be commenced. See How to Use these Pages

Remedy profile:
Energetic and active when well Belladonna people turn angry, agitated, confused and restless when ill. Belladonna people are volatile with fierce tempers. When ill they are sensitive to light and noise.
High fevers, dilated pupils, throbbing pain, red, flushed skin that radiates heat. Movement aggravates the throbbing pain.
Illness that comes on very suddenly.
If a sore throat is present it will be red, swollen and feel as if it is burning up. There may be a dry cough.
Headaches will settle behind one eye and throb more with the slightest movement.
Fevers are accompanied by hot flushed face and can lead to delirium.
Menstrual pain is accompanied by heavy periods and hot, painful vagina.

Key Symptoms:
Flushed skin particularly face, light and noise sensitive, aggravated by movement, confused agitation.

Used for treatment of:

Fevers

Chicken Pox

Measles

Mumps

Earache

Eye inflammation

Pains accompanied by heat and redness

Headaches

Migraine

Menstrual Pain

Colds

Hoarse

Cough

Sore throat

Painful breasts: during breastfeeding. Breasts become engorged, painful, thropbbing, hot and red lines.

Sunburn
 

General Symptoms Worse for: Factors/Conditions that make the symptoms worse
S

General Symptoms Better for: Factors/Conditions that improve symptoms
F

See also our Herbal page on Belladonna.