Hyoscyamus niger seed Henbane seeds

LATIN NAME: Hyoscyamus niger

COMMON NAME: Henbane

Henbane is a plant that has been feared and studied for thousands of years. The stout, branching, sticky-haired plant carries the coarse, deeply toothed, dark-green leaves, and the fine, pale-yellow flowers with the purple veins open in the one-sided spikes through the summer, to be followed by the small, pebble-like seed capsules. The whole plant carries the strong, unpleasant scent and the powerful character of the nightshade family. It is a plant of the open, sunny, waste ground, and it has one of the longest and most careful records of any of the old plants. It is strictly a plant to admire, never to taste.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

Henbane holds a steady position in the plant science, and the plant has been studied for thousands of years for the powerful alkaloids that run through the whole of it. The fine, pale-yellow flowers and the dangerous, well-documented character of the plant have drawn the researchers back time and again, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the alkaloid-bearing plants and the history of the old remedies. The coarse, deeply toothed leaves and the one-sided spikes of the flowers have also made it a regular subject of the studies of the medicinal and the poisonous plants of the old world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Henbane pays its way in the history books and the botany of the old plants. The powerful character of the plant has been studied and written about for thousands of years, and it holds a fine, careful place in the records of the poisonous plants of the nightshade family. The stout, branching plant is an interesting, easy grower of the sunny waste ground, and the fine, pale-yellow, purple-veined flowers have their own dark, curious beauty. The whole plant is powerful and must never be tasted, so it is best grown as a curiosity, admired from a distance and kept well away from the children and the pets. It has been written up in the botanical papers for its long, careful history, and it is a fine, curious plant of the open, sunny, well-drained garden.

Henbane is one of the most written-about plants of the old world, and the coarse, deeply toothed, sticky-haired leaves and the one-sided spikes of the pale-yellow, purple-veined flowers give it a dark, curious beauty. The whole plant carries the strong, unpleasant scent that matches its long, careful history.

To grow the henbane from seed, sow the fine seeds over the surface of pots of moist, free-draining soil and leave them uncovered, since they germinate in the light, keep them in a bright, open spot and water gently. The seedlings are up within a few weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun and the well-drained ground, keep the plant well away from the little ones and the pets, since every part of it is for the admiring eye only.

Henbane is an annual to biennial with distinguishing hairy, toothed leaves and greenish to yellowish flowers with dark purple veins that almost appear black. Henbane, like several other nightshades, has a long history of use as a medicinal and a poison, and it is still grown commercially for medicinal use in some parts of the world. Like its cousins, belladonna and datura, henbane was a common ingredient in witches’ brews. Containing the toxic alkaloids hyoscyamine and scopolamine, henbane was used as a poison at least since the Middle Ages. This type of poisoning, which can take place even after ingesting a small amount of plant or seed matter, can have symptoms such as increased salivation, headache, nausea, convulsions, hallucinations, stupor, coma and death. Ironically, henbane was once used as a flavoring in German pilsner beers until the German government stepped in and banned it as an ingredient. Henbane use has also been documented in a variety of other cultures including the Arabs, Ancient Greeks and in Tibetan medicine. It was also used as an admixture to the hallucinogenic brews of certain South American Indians. As a medicinal, it has mild pain relieving abilities, antispasmodic activity and causes pupil dilation. Based on such actions, it has been reportedly used for a list of conditions including toothaches, epilepsy, cough, asthma, and Parkinson’s Disease. One source also reports that placing the dried leaves around a house will help drive away mice.

WARNING: Despite this plant’s beauty, all parts of this plant contain compounds that are poisonous if ingested. Do not ingest for any reason and keep away from curious pets and children. Do not attempt medicinal use unless under the direction and care of a physician.