Black henbane
Hyoscyamus nigerSolanaceae // seeds · leaves
Also known as: henbane
Preparation
Overview
Plant parts
seeds, leaves
Known constituents
scopolamine, hyoscyamine, atropine
Research corpus coverage
Chemistry notes
- Principal reported constituents include scopolamine, hyoscyamine, atropine; broad class: antimuscarinic tropane alkaloids.
Uses & Evidence
Traditional / historical use
Documented traditional use — not a claim of established efficacy.
No traditional-use records in this corpus.
Modern evidence
Other Hyoscyamus species occur in historical materia medica; 'witches' flying ointment claims are often retrospective.
MODERATE · Evidence of the intentional use of black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) in the Roman Netherlands
Identity/attribution caution.
Safety
Human
- Critical
Safety severity is CRITICAL: anticholinergic delirium, hyperthermia, arrhythmia, coma and death
Intrinsic toxicity · HIGH · Evidence of the intentional use of black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) in the Roman Netherlands
Additional safety notes (general, unstructured)
Free-text safety notes carried from their source — not broken out by species, route, or hazard type, and not equivalent to the structured records above. Each note names the kind of source it came from.
Safety severity is CRITICAL: anticholinergic delirium, hyperthermia, arrhythmia, coma and death
HIGH · Evidence of the intentional use of black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) in the Roman Netherlands
Preparation × species risk matrix
Unknown means insufficient evidence was located — not that a form is safe.
Cats
- tinctureCaution
- concentrated extractUnknown
- essential oilUnknown
- glyceriteUnknown
- infused oilUnknown
- salveUnknown
- smoke/combustionUnknown
- tea/infusionUnknown
- whole herbUnknown
Dogs
- tinctureCaution
- concentrated extractUnknown
- essential oilUnknown
- glyceriteUnknown
- infused oilUnknown
- salveUnknown
- smoke/combustionUnknown
- tea/infusionUnknown
- whole herbUnknown
Identity
- Synonym
GBIF lists Hyoscarpus niger (L.) Dulac as a taxonomic synonym of Hyoscyamus niger.
HIGH · GBIF Species Synonyms API
Common name
henbane
Traditions
Greco-Roman, medieval European and folk medical-magical contexts
Europe and Mediterranean // archaeological Roman evidence and historical texts // historical evidence
Ethnobotanical
Black henbane is documented in Greco-Roman, medieval European and folk medical-magical contexts in Europe and Mediterranean for medicine, fumigation and possible intentional ritual use.
HIGH · Evidence of the intentional use of black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) in the Roman Netherlands
Ritual
Documented functions include healing, divinatory, protective; these functions are tradition-specific and should not be generalized across cultures.
HIGH · Evidence of the intentional use of black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) in the Roman Netherlands
Legal
Legal status changes over time and by jurisdiction — this is a dated snapshot, not current law.
International · Checked 2026-08-09
Varies substantially by country; constituent controls and plant-specific controls are not uniform.
State / municipal · Checked 2026-08-09
Material state and municipal variation may apply; verify jurisdiction at time of use.
US Federal · Checked 2026-08-09
Not federally scheduled as a plant.
Sources
Research records are source-linked but may not yet be editorially reviewed.
- Evidence of the intentional use of black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) in the Roman Netherlands6 claims
peer-reviewed article
government/regulatory source
- GBIF Species Synonyms API1 claim
authoritative taxonomic database