Atropine is a tropane alkaloid, that can be extracted from the deadly nightshade ("Atropa belladonna"), mandrake ("Mandragora officinarum") and certain other plants. It is mainly used as a drug. Atropine can be deadly. The substance derives its name from Atropos, one of the three Fates. In Greek mythology, the Fates chose how a person was to die. Atropine is a "core" medicine in the World Health Organization's "Essential Drugs List", which is a list of minimum medical needs for a basic health care system.