Compound Monograph
Hyoscyamine
Hyoscyamine is a potent tropane alkaloid and anticholinergic found in deadly nightshade, datura and mandrake.
Classification
Hyoscyamine is a tropane alkaloid, part of the alkaloids class. Nitrogen-containing, often bitter and physiologically potent compounds — the group behind many of the strongest plant medicines and poisons.
Where Does It Come From? (4)
Hyoscyamine is a naturally occurring tropane alkaloid, found in Datura, Mandrake, Deadly nightshade and 1 other source. It is flagged as poisonous.
Research & Evidence
Hyoscyamine is a tropane alkaloid found in many plants of the nightshade family, including datura, mandrake, henbane and deadly nightshade. It is a potent antimuscarinic (anticholinergic) agent; the racemic mixture of hyoscyamine and its mirror image is known as atropine. Medically, purified hyoscyamine has been used to reduce gut spasm and secretions and to manage certain other conditions, while in the source plants it is one of the alkaloids responsible for their long history as deliriant poisons and ritual intoxicants.
Toxicity & Safety
Hyoscyamine is genuinely dangerous. Anticholinergic poisoning from nightshade plants produces dry mouth, flushed skin, blurred vision, urinary retention, racing heart, agitation, a frightening delirium and, in serious cases, hyperthermia, seizures and death. The margin between an active and a toxic dose in raw plant material is unpredictable, which is why these plants are responsible for recurrent serious and fatal poisonings.