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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
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