Belladonna, mandrake, henbane,
and hemlock—all plants in the
nightshade family, which also
includes tobacco, the potato, and
the chili pepper—are simultaneously
deadly poisons and valuable
pain relievers. Administered
topically or internally, these
plants have been used to kill and
heal throughout history, and, in
many unfortunate cases, they
killed when intended to heal. The
therapeutic dose is dangerously
close to the toxic dose, and the
chemical composition of each
individual plant can vary drastically.
The ancient Athenian court
sentenced the philosopher
Socrates to death by drinking
hemlock; upon sipping from the
cup, Plato records, Socrates felt
numbness starting in his feet and
spreading throughout his body
before he succumbed to paralysis and death. For the most part, these plants are no longer used,
although chemicals extracted from them are, in both prescription drugs and anesthesia.