Black Henbane Gives You Wings!

Ever wonder where the idea of witches flying on broomsticks came from? Well, look no further than henbane, Hyoscyamus niger. It's loaded with alkaloids, including the hallucinogenic hyoscyamine/atropine. It is said that witches would spread a salve, or "flying ointment," of henbane on large sticks which they would then straddle and proceed to vaginally self-administer. The ensuing delirium and hallucinations were known to have the women believing they were airborne.

The herb actually belongs to the solanaceae family which makes it a relative of the potato, eggplant and tomato. It is medicinally known as a strong antispasmodic and is used to calm tremors and spasms in early Parkinson’s disease, as well as quell epileptic convulsions. More commonly, it is used as a sedative and pain killer which is specific for the urinary tract, acting to reduce pain from kidney stones.

Henbane is an herb of the "witches'" and one of several that I grow, the others being mandrake and datura, both of which also belong to the solanaceae family. As usual, I started from seed and after a couple of months, was pleasantly surprised at the beautiful and exotically shaped plant it turned out to be. The leaves of the young plant are very soft and covered with down like hairs. Later, they become sticky and start to exude the heady aroma characteristic of many solanaceae plants. The pale yellow flowers are speckled with a deep violet-brownish color. Once the flowers start to bloom, the branches begin to grow outward in a tentacle-like fashion, with new flowers replacing the old ones on the ends of the extending branches. It actually gives the impression of flowers in flight caught in a sequence of snapshots.

Just so there's no misunderstanding, henbane is very poisonous, capable of inducing coma and death. To date I have not ingested or admnistered this legendary herb to myself or anyone else, vaginally, anally or otherwise! As such, I have no anecdotal accounts of its hypnotic nature. I will continue to grow it for the unique touch it adds to the garden and its intriguing character. And who knows if one day a leaf or three might not accidentally flutter their way into my salad bowl...?