An interesting plant that’s looking nice in the garden now is Hyoscyamus niger. This European native, member of the nightshade family Solanaceae, is a first cousin to tomatoes and potatoes. Although it’s short-lived in the garden, it is rather ornamental, but it’s popularity is actually due to its other properties.
In traditional medicine, it’s known as black henbane, and is used to treat asthma, stomach pain, coughs, rheumatism, and as an analgesic and sedative. Since the late middle ages, however, it’s been prized for its psychoactive properties, such as making you feel like you are flying. The active ingredients are hyoscyamine, scopolamine, and other tropane alkaloids. Scopolamine is still widely used to prevent nausea after surgery, and to prevent motion sickness. Hyoscyamine is used to treat peptic ulcers, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), diverticulitis, and even symptoms of Parkinson’s.
Other historical black market/black magic uses were to cause craziness, to summon demonic souls, to cause a drunken sleep, as a magical fumigant, and to cause sexual wildness. Because of the severe effects of taking it orally (i.e. vomiting, respiratory paralysis, and death), it’s usually taken transdermally via a patch.
As far back as the 11th century, is was actually used to make beer, but the side effects, like killing potential customers, resulted in it eventually being replaced by a new ingredient, hops. Henbane is also toxic to cattle, fish, and birds, but is reportedly quite enjoyed by pigs. There’s probably an interesting lesson here. Anyway, unless you’re looking to win a Darwin Award, just enjoy your black henbane as a garden ornamental.
That’s fascinating (as are the chemical ingredients, literally so, as in weaving a spell).