-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Audette <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Saturday, January 01, 2000 11:42 PM
Subject: Re: [P-F] Nightshades, tomatos


>  Correct me if I'm wrong. Deadly Nightshade, Belladonna I believe was
known
>to be deadly in the old world. That's why people never ate tomatoes in the
>first place. There is a book out there that is about the nightshades and
how
>they increase one's pain threshold. My sister told me about it years ago.
>It's called Eat well get well stay well, by Dr. Carlton Fredericks. A real
>eye opener. Some one let me know if and where you find it.

I had not heard of it increasing the threshold, it seems to work the
opposite in my case.


Interesting history behind this plant, in the 1600s or 1700s in parts of
Europe, apothecaries made an extract of Belladonna and women used it as eye
drops. It caused the pupils to open very wide, which made the eyes look
darker, which was considered romantic and mysterious and attractive.  (It
may also have made the user a bit more suggestible than usual...)

Bella Donna is Italian for Beautiful Lady... sort of like an early
brand-name that stuck!

Interestingly, when physiologists started studying human behavior a couple
of hundred years later, one thing they noted is the reaction of the pupils
of the eyes when someone sees a person they find attractive...  Apparently
the people who popularized the Belladonna drops had noticed this reaction
and made the most of it!  The explanation I read is that a man is more
likely to pursue a woman who finds him attractive *or appears to*, even if
her public behavior cannot overtly show her interest....

Atropine is the main active ingredient in Belladonna alkaloids. It was used
as a poison, and certainly helped people dispose of a lot of important
politicians, lords, inconvenient or sterile wives, etc. over the centuries.

-- laurie brooke adams (Mother Mastiff)  mastiffs at mindspring dot com
     forever missing the comfort and company of my beloved Madame Bitch
 _________________________________________________________
               Beauty without soundness is a genuine TRAGEDY.
TEST YOUR DOGS THOROUGHLY!  BREED CAREFULLY, WISELY, & SELDOM.

 Most major problems that cause dogs pain and cost big $ ARE avoidable
 using current and emerging technologies.  Since others test, YOU CAN TOO!
 If you aren't ACTIVELY part of the SOLUTION, you ARE part of the PROBLEM!

Visit my pages: http://mastiffs.home.mindspring.com/photo.htm  (mastiffs)
                            http://members.xoom.com/colorsplash/  (fancy
chickens)

_________________________________________________________
  (C) 1999  My words are my own.  If you want to use them, ASK ME FIRST.