by Judith C Evans

Created on: October 31, 2009

Henbane (Hyoscyamus) suffers from a sinister reputation. A member of the Solanaceae family, its common names include "devil's eye," "poison tobacco," and "stinking nightshade." There are about a dozen species of Hyoscyamus, but the most well-known is Hyoscyamus niger, or black henbane. The two - or three- foot tall annual or biennial is covered with sticky hairs, and its gray-green toothed leaves and yellow bell-shaped blossoms appear dirty; its odor is offensive. It usually grows near unpopular areas such as garbage dumps and graveyards, but may also be grown as an ornamental plant in gardens. Henbane's native habitat is in Asia Minor and northern Africa; it later spread to northern Europe and the American continent, where Spanish explorers probably introduced it to native healers.

Henbane's medicinal properties include anodyne, antispasmodic, calmative, and narcotic. It contains the tropane alkaloids Atropine, Scopolamine, and Hyoscyamine; these powerful alkaloids block neurotransmission to the parasympathetic (involuntary) nervous system. Henbane, therefore, is potentially toxic, and must be used with extreme caution. The roots are considered the most potent part of the plant. Toxic quantities in the body can cause symptoms ranging from increased heartbeat, stomach cramps, and convulsions to delirium and death. Psychotropic toxicity symptoms include sense of body distortion, erotic hallucinations, and sensation of flying. Due to the risk of poisoning, henbane is usually used only as an external remedy.

For thousands of years, henbane has been used medicinally, as well as for its psychotropic properties. As early as the first century AD, the herb was used as a pain reliever and sleep aid. The ancient Greeks witnessed the trancelike state of the oracle at Delphi; this effect is believed to have been caused by fumes from burning henbane. The ancient Celts and Germans added henbane seeds to their beer. The name "Pilsner" is derived from "Bilsen," the German word for henbane; German beer contained henbane seeds until the early sixteenth century. During the Middle Ages, henbane was known as the herb used by witches to induce a sense of flying or "shape shifting" into animal forms.

Today, henbane is used primarily in external applications, and is administered internally in rare instances, in very dilute dosages. The leaves are the most commonly used part of the plant. Leaf tincture can be used in a hot bath for soothing skin; leaf oil is used in liniment for muscle

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