If I had to pick what I would consider to be the most dramatic remedy, Belladonna would definitely be one of the top contenders. Everything about it is just so over the top!

For starters, homeopathic Belladonna is derived from the belladonna plant, commonly known as deadly nightshade. This plant is one of the most toxic known plants and consumption of any part of it (berries, flowers, or leaves) results in severe symptoms such as dilated pupils, blurred vision, tachycardia, loss of balance, headache, rash, flushing, dry mouth, slurred speech, hallucinations, delirium, and convulsions. These symptoms are classically summarized as “red as a beet, dry as a bone, hot as a hare, blind as a bat, and mad as a hatter.”

Unsurprisingly, there are many connections between homeopathic Belladonna’s keynote symptoms and the symptoms of crude belladonna poisoning. My memory work music teaches: When your symptoms are red, hot, angry, and throbbing, reach for Belladonna, there’s no need for sobbing. For symptoms dry, swollen, painful, and sore, or a sudden high fever of 103 or more, that’s Belladonna.

Historically, young ladies who wanted to be noticed by rich and powerful men would put drops of belladonna juice in their eyes. It would make their pupils get large and wide, which the girls felt would make them look alluring—which it did, but unfortunately, it also made them go blind. 

If all of that doesn’t sound like drama, then I don’t know what does!
I’m just saying, if Belladonna had an Instagram, she’d be an influencer for sure🤣

Keynote Symptoms

I’ve told the story many times about the first time one of my children got a fever after I had committed to not using antipyretics like acetaminophen for my kids. And my son didn’t just get any fever…he got a whopping fever of 105 Fahrenheit! I was amazed… and terrified.

So what did I do? I did three things. First, I gave him Belladonna, as this homeopathic remedy is quintessential for fevers like this. Second, I read the book by Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor. And third, I got anxiety diarrhea! (Luckily, my confidence as a momeopath has increased greatly since then, and I can usually keep a handle on my anxiety these days😉)

So why did I select Belladonna? There are several other fantastic fever remedies—and Aconite in particular often gets confused for Belladonna since they both work on high fevers with a fast onset—however, Belladonna has some unique keynotes that differentiate it. 

First, this gorgeous gal is great for very high fevers—and we are talking HIGH fevers, so 102F or above in adults and 103F and above for kids. These fevers come on very suddenly and intensely.

Second, the etiology of the fever (or other ailment) has been brought on by exposure to too much sunlight or heat, such as sleeping in the sun, or getting a sunburn. For modalities, they are also worse from exposure to the sun and sunlight (or even just from bright lights). They are also worse from jarring movements or after 3PM.

Their faces will appear bright red, and they’ll be flushed all over. Their pupils will be dilated, and their eyes may appear glassy (remember the women who put drops in on purpose to dilate their pupils). The pain they feel will be throbbing pain—many kids will describe it as feeling their heart beat. Finally, if they also have a cough, it will be a dry forceful cough.

My friend Linda shares: 

Here’s another Bella story. 2018 when I was starting homeopathic study my husband ended up in the hospital with a rapidly destructive skin infection on his leg that the doctors thought was necrotizing fasciitis. (9×13”) I was plugging him with as many homeopathics as I could to keep him out of the surgical amputation option. On the Saturday night that he was his worst, he had 102.6 fever, hot red burning face, glassy wild eyes, delirious… one dose of Belladonna 200c brought him back down to “normal sick” when the fever broke. I give credit to my homeopathic friends for guidance, the answering of multiple prayers, and fasting of family and friends by a loving Heavenly father, and the medical doctors for a miraculous team effort! Homeopathy ROCKS!

To learn more about how I approach fevers in general, check out my previous blog post Fevers—How High is Too High.

Common Ailments

A Belladonna headache is one of the most intense headaches you can have. The pain is mainly right-sided, beginning in the right occiput and extending to the right forehead or eye. 

Similar to what you will see in the fever, the onset will be very sudden and intense. The pain will be a throbbing, pulsating pain that presses outward. The pain will worsen from exposure to the sun, light, heat, jarring, or after 3PM. Then it is better when resting in a dark, quiet place. 

The extremities, such as hands and feet, can be icy cold.

Ear infections are another ailment that is often successfully treated by Belladonna.

A few Thanksgivings ago, we visited some family members living in a cold climate. Right away, all of the kids ran outside to go hot tubbing. Within a few hours, my son developed a horribly painful ear infection. And it came on shockingly fast—in just 2-3 minutes, he went from being fine to screaming in pain and having a burst eardrum. 

And while the old me would have panicked, I took a step back and observed. Beyond just the ear infection, my son’s keynote symptoms were a violent onset, a red face, hot fever, and a throbbing headache. He had also just been in the very hot environment of the hot tub.

All of these symptoms pointed toward Belladonna.

Belladonna ear infections generally have the same aggravations and ameliorations discussed above. They are worse for bright light, motion, or touch, drafts, lying down, and after 3PM. They are better for rest, being in dim lighting, warm rooms, and having a light covering on their head.

Symptoms Over Diagnosis

Finally, I’d like to share a time when Belladonna saved the day for an ailment that you typically wouldn’t think to use Belladonna for. This experience reminded me not to get so caught up in the diagnosis that you ignore the symptoms! And since two months ago I shared a lot about some top remedies for bee stings (Ledum and Apis), I thought this was a great story to help continue the conversation.

Years ago, my husband got stung by a bee. At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal. But over the next few days, his arm started swelling—red, hot, and throbbing. I tried Apis. Nothing. Tried Ledum. Still nothing.

So I went back to the drawing board and asked him what it felt like. All he could say was, “It’s just throbbing.” His arm was hot to the touch, visibly red, and steadily swelling.

A trip to the doctor confirmed: cellulitis—likely a bit of staph or strep introduced through the sting. It was spreading fast and had almost reached a lymph node near his armpit, which really raised concerns for a systemic infection.

That’s when I gave Belladonna.

Within hours, he felt a shift. The pain began to ease. The redness started to recede. Within days, it was healing beautifully, and by the end of the week—almost 100% better.

So no, Belladonna may not be the first remedy you think of for bug bites, but if you’re seeing heat, redness, throbbing, and rapid onset, it might be exactly what’s needed!

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