Deadly Herbs of Halloween

Henbane - Hyoscyamus niger

© Mikell Y Worley, Henbane, Watercolor, Pen and Ink 5" x 7"
​

"Henbane is poisonous in all its parts and neither drying or boiling destroys the toxic principle."
~ Mrs. Grieve, London Pharmacopoeia 
​

The seeds are poisonous to chickens, giving Henbane its common name,. The Latin name, Hyoscyamus - from the Greek 'hous' meaning pig and kuamos meaning bean -  has been interpreted as a reference to the noxious smell, but it could well be, as Erica Jong notes below, that the 'sickly flowers turn men into swine."  Turning men into pigs must have been more common in the past than it is presently.. In addition to Henbane's special powers, changing men into hogs was also attributed to mandrake - check my 10-6-2019 post.

With the current misogyny in the U.S., it seems some men don't need any herbal assistance. Fortunately in my recent travels, this hasn't been a concern but I have no plans to move to D.C. or Hollywood so maybe my geographical location has spared me. Ha!

Henbane is not used often because it is so highly poisonous. As with some of the other members of the Solanaceae family, it contains the propane alkaloids and it best left alone..
(Note: Non-poisonous tomatoes and potatoes are in the Solanaceae family.)

Simply smelling the herb can have derogatory effects. Legend states the dead who wander along the banks of the river Styx wear wreathes of henbane flowers to prevent them from remembering their previous lives, according to Greek mythology. 

Scott Cunningham, herbalist extraordinaire, noted  

​"Henbane, another poisonous plant largely ignored in herb magic today
due to its toxicity, is still sometimes utilized as a love bringing herb in the following 
manner: to bring love, a man should gather henbane, naked, early in the morning
while standing on one foot. Worn, it will bring love."

Once again, I am puzzled. This entire plant is poisonous, yet there are accounts of man gathering this vilely fragranced plant, unprotected by clothes, and then actually wearing it?  (For several reasons, I hope they get dressed first!) 

Cunningham also notes the herb can be burned to attract rain and this should be best done outdoors - they need to tell people this? - as the fumes are poisonous. He then notes that fern can be used as a substitute. Hopefully the fern cam be used in the love spell as well!

Once again I got sidetracked - easy to do with the versatile and many faceted herbs! In reference to Halloween, witches rubbed an ointment which included henbane and other herbs on the handles of their  broom sticks to enable them to fly. And allegedly, there were evil witches  - most aren't, you know - who used the herb to inflict convulsions, delirium and even death on their victims. 

Henbane should best be avoided unless under the supervision of a well trained herbalist,  Witches, Henbane and Brooms, 

​It has inspired American poet and novelist Erica Jong, probably best known for her 1973 novel Fear of Flying. This poem is from her book Witches. 

​Henbane
~ Erica Jong

Herba Apollinaris,
Circe’s herb,
The Delphic Priestesses’
wine--
is it you
with your jagged leaves
& sickly flowers
who turn men
to swine,
is it you
who pluck the prophecies
from smoke,
above the great Omphalos
in the gorge?

Common as the lowly potato,
but with the power
to bring oblivion or death,
Ulysses lost
his sailors
to your spell,
while that mild witch, Circe,
wove harmonies
upon her magic loom
where the fabric
flickered
like firelight.
Sleepy beasts
beneath her shuttlecock,
the wolves & lions loll
like aging dogs;
the witch tickles
their bellies.
Half girl, half goddess,
all enchantress,
Circe dreams of her Odysseus,
luring him
with bright thoughts,
bright threads,
& honeyed wine.
Was it you, Henbane,
turning beastly men
to loving beasts--
is that why Circe
loved you so?
—Until Ulysses
stormed in
with his broadsword,
the master mariner,
the son of gods
of old;
& used
to taming women to his will.
He took the witch
to bed--
not out of lust
for Hermes himself had ordered it--
(& Odysseus always
had a god at hand).
Was it Henbane
they smoked
before they went to bed?
Was it Henbane
that let their loving slip
from one slim night
into a whole fat year?
She sent him home
the long way
from her famous
bed of love,
Through Death’s cold vastnesses,
& pale Persephone’s glacial halls.
Was it you
Henbane
who made the journey slow--
or was it Circe,
half girl, half goddess,
harmonizing on her lovely loom
while men lolled at her feet
like sleepy beasts…
O Circe
you knew
a thing or two!

​Jong, Erica (1997), Witches, Abradale Press