Belladonna

Belladonna

Do you know belladonna? Do you know its origin, its essence, its softness, its darkness? Do you know its potential, its resilience? Today, you will discover its history, its controversies, and its secrets.

Once called the devil's cherry, this plant belongs to the great nightshade family. It grows wild in Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. Often underestimated for its size and appearance, its large, soft leaves release an unpleasant odor when crushed. But do not judge it too quickly! From May to June, it adorns itself with brown and red flowers, revealing its beauty. Then come its glossy black berries, seemingly sweet and harmless, yet deceptive: fewer than five berries can kill a child.

Belladonna has long been associated with magical rituals and witchcraft. Only those with deep knowledge dared to use it. For though it is deadly, it has also been a remedy: applied as a poultice to ease pain, smoked as a cigarette to fight asthma, or brewed into an infusion to treat Parkinson's disease. But a single miscalculation, a moment of carelessness, and it turns fatal.

Poisoning leads to digestive, cardiac, and respiratory distress, delirium, hallucinations, then coma, and finally... the fatal paralysis of breath.

Make no mistake: belladonna is both gentle and dangerous, beautiful and deadly. It is a paradox, a mystery. It resembles me.

Because this book is not a botanical guide. It is a personal story. The story of a woman marked by her past, by doubts, wounds, and uncertainties. A woman who, despite everything, moves forward. Who, against all odds, tries to rebuild herself.