Belladonna
Belladonna (Atropa belladonna) is a poisonous plant that has been used as a medicine since ancient times. It is named “Belladonna” for the “beautiful women” of Renaissance Italy, who took it to enlarge their pupils, which they found more alluring.
But it also goes by a more sinister name — deadly nightshade — that implies a darker history. Indeed, not only are its dark berries sometimes known as murderer’s berries, sorcerer’s berries, and even devil’s berries, they are thought to be the poison that caused Juliet to appear dead in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”