Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
HERBALPEDIA HEMLOCK flower from June to July. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by insects. The plant is self-fertile. Conium maculatum [koh-NI-um mak-yuh-LAH-tum] Family: Umbelliferae Names: Poison parsley, spotted hemlock, Baldiran, Beaver Poison, Bisbis Barry, Cicuta, Cicutae Herba, Cigue, Cowbane, Doku-Ninzin, Herb Bennet, Isojuuri, Kecksies, Kex, Musquash Root, Poison Hemlock, Poisonhemlock, Sauvadge Feno, Shawkaran, Spotted Corobane; grande cigue (French); Gefleckter Schierling (German); Amáranghas, Vromokhorto (Greek) Pharmaceutical Name: Herba Conii Description: Tall biennial similar to cow parsley and wild chervil, and growing to 6 feet from a forked, pale yellow root. The stout, bright green stem is smooth and blotched with purple or deep red, and the delivate, dark green leaves are feathery and grouped in threes. The leaves have an unpleasant, ‘mousy’ smell when bruised. From mid-summer to mid-autumn, umbels of small, white lacy flowers appear, followed by seeds that resemble caraway. It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in Cultivation: Commonly found in Europe, hemlock also grows in temperate regions of Asia and North America. It flourishes in damp meadows, on riverbanks, and in open areas. It succeeds in most soils in sun or light shade and avoids acid soils in the wild. It prefers a damp rich soil. Seed - best sown in situ as soon as it is ripe in the late summer. It usually germinates in the autumn. The leaves and stems should be harvested when the first fruits are forming, since they are then at their most active medicinally. Dry quickly. The drug smells unpleasant like mouse urine and has an offensive and sharp bitter taste. The fruits are gathered either when fully ripe, or before they turn from green to yellow, and are then dried. History: Hemlock’s botanical name, conium, is derived from a Greek verb that means to whirl around. This refers to the vertigo that is one of the characteristic symptoms of hemlock poisoning. Socrates and other condemned Greek criminals were forced to drink a deadly hemlock brew and it was a favorite drink of suicides. Witches also collected the plant for their potions. According to an old English tradition, the stems took their color in sympathy with the mark placed on Cain’s forehead after he murdered Abel. Dioscorides prescribed the herb for the external treatment of herpes and to the genitals in cases of priapism, and a poultice was once applied to cancerous tumors. The poisons were said to dissipate on cutting and drying. In the early part of this century, hemlock was an official sedative and anti-spasmodic drug, that was prescribed for epilepsy and other convulsive disease. Constituents: Coniine, N-methylconiine, coniceine, conhydrine and pseudoconhydrine cathartic, keep vitals intact, possibly artificial respiration and seizure precautions. Properties: antispasmodic, sedative, anodyne, Analgesic; Cancer; Emetic; Galactofuge; Homeopathy Ritual Uses: Gender: Fewminine. Planet: Saturn. Element: Water. Deity: Hecate. A poisonous plant hemlock was once used in magic to induce astral projection, and in spells to destroy sexual drives. Its juice was rubbed onto magical knives and swords to empower and purify them before use. Medicinal Uses: In extremely small quantities, hemlock is sedative and analgesic; in larger doses it causes paralysis and death. Rarely used today, it has been prescribed in the past as a treatment for epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and Sydenham’s chorea. Hemlock has also been used to treat acute cystitis. It is a traditional folk treatment for cancer and was formerly widely used internally in very small doses to treat a variety of other complaints including tumors, whooping cough, rabies and as an antidote to strychnine poisoning. It is still used externally, usually in ointments and oils, in the treatment of mastitis, malignant tumors (especially breast cancer) anal fissure and hemorrhoids. Homeopathy: A homeopathic remedy is prepared from a tincture of the fresh plant, harvested when in flower. It is used for treating complaints such as dizzyness, coughs, insomnia, exhaustion, arteriosclerosis and prostate problems. Toxicity: All parts are intensely poisonous especially at the wrong dosage. The toxins are especially concentrated in the seed. The stems contain up to 0.06% of the toxic alkaloids, the leaves between 0.03 and 0.8%, the flowers from 0.09 to 0.24% and the green fruit from 0.73 to 0.98%. The toxins, however, are very volatile and decompose readily, especially when the plant is dried or cooked. The toxins paralyse the respiratory nerves, causing death by suffocation. Children have been known to die after using the hollow stems as blowpipes. Do not take internally. Use externally only under professional supervision.. Poison symptoms include GI upset, necrosis, muscular weakness, seizures, and respiratory paralysis. Treatment is emesis or gastric lavage, saline References: American Nature Guides: Herbs, Anna Kruger, Smithmark, 1992; ISBN: 0-8317-6952-1 Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Great Lakes Region, Thomas A. Naegele, Wilderness Adventure Books, 1996; ISBN: 0-923568-37-9 Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, Scott Cunningham, Llewellwyn Publications, 1982, ISBN: 978-0 87542-122-3 Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants HERBALPEDIA™ is brought to you by The Herb Growing & Marketing Network, PO Box 245, Silver Spring, PA 17575-0245; 717393-3295; FAX: 717-393-9261; email: [email protected] URL: http://www.herbalpedia.com Editor: Maureen Rogers. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved. Material herein is derived from journals, textbooks, etc. THGMN cannot be held responsible for the validity of the information contained in any reference noted herein, for the misuse of information or any adverse effects by use of any stated material presented.