Trivia: What did women in Renaissance Italy use belladonna plants for?
To whiten complexion
To blush cheeks
To enlarge pupils
To stain fingernails
The correct answer is To enlarge pupils
So why is this answer correct? : In what must be one of the strangest beauty trends of all time, Renaissance Italian women used belladonna plants — also known as deadly nightshade — to enlarge their pupils, which was considered an attractive quality. Belladonnas are very poisonous — eating just a few leaves or berries can be fatal. Despite this, belladonnas are still used in medicine today, including at the eye doctor as an ingredient in the eye drops used to dilate pupils.