This beautiful shrub is native to Europe, North Africa, and West Asia. It is one of the best-known poisonous plants from ancient Egypt to the Middle Ages up until now. It is the ancient Egyptians they were responsible for promoting its use as a powerful narcotic.

The toxins responsible for its effects are atropine and scopolamine. In poorly administered doses it can affect the nervous system paralyzing even the nerve endings of involuntary muscles of the body such as the heart itself or blood vessels (which can lead to coma or death). Low doses can cause delusions and hallucinations. High doses of 10 to 20 berries are more than enough to kill a person.

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