Practical
Plants

Conium maculatum

Hemlock

a biennial member of the Conium genus in the family Umbelliferae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Conium
Life cycle
biennial
Height
2 m
Spread
1 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A very poisonous plant, the toxins are especially concentrated in the seed[1][21][2][6][19][22]. 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%[15]. The toxins, however, are very volatile and decompose readily[20], especially when the plant is dried or cooked[18]. The toxins paralyse the respiratory nerves, causing death by suffocation[14]. Children have been known to die after using the hollow stems as blowpipes[8]. The poisonous nature of the plant varies considerably, with many people believing that the plant is less toxic when grown in cooler climates[17].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - cooked[4]. Although toxic, plants found in the south of England are comparatively harmless and the leaves are used as a pot-herb[7]. They can also be dried for later use. The toxic principle is said to be destroyed by thorough cooking or drying[18][3]. Caution is advised, especially on the remarks about plants in southern England[K]. See the notes above on toxicity.

Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Hemlock is a very poisonous plant that has a long history of medicinal use, though it is very rarely used in modern herbalism[14][16]. It is a narcotic plant that sedates and relieves pain[14]. The plant contains coniine, an extremely toxic substance that can also cause congenital defects[16]. The whole plant is analgesic, antispasmodic, emetic, galactofuge and sedative[18][21][23][10][11][12]. It is a traditional folk treatment for cancer[12] and was formerly widely used internally in very small doses to treat a variety of complaints including tumours, epilepsy, whooping cough, rabies and as an antidote to strychnine poisoning[13][16]. It is still used externally, usually in ointments and oils, in the treatment of mastitis, malignant tumours (especially breast cancer) anal fissure and haemorrhoids[14]. The leaves and stems should be harvested when the first fruits are forming, since they are then at their most active medicinally[18]. The fruits are gathered either when fully ripe, or before they turn from green to yellow, and are then dried[18]. Because of the extremely toxic nature of this herb, it is seldom employed nowadays[13]. Use with extreme caution and only under the guidance of a qualified practitioner[10][14]. See also the notes above on toxicity. A homeopathic remedy is prepared from a tincture of the fresh plant, harvested when in flower[13]. It is used for treating complaints such as dizziness, coughs, insomnia, exhaustion[13], arteriosclerosis and prostate problems[21].

Product or use
Analgesic
Product or use
Antispasmodic
Product or use
Cancer
Product or use
Emetic
Product or use
Galactofuge
Product or use
Homeopathy
Product or use
Sedative

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, from Norway and Finland south and east to N. Africa and Iran.
Habitat
Waste ground and in damp places, avoiding acid soils and heavy shade[21].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown in situ as soon as it is ripe in the late summer. It usually germinates in the autumn.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A fairly common weed in Britain, it succeeds in most soils in sun or light shade and avoids acid soils in the wild. It prefers a damp rich soil[14]. This is the plant that Socrates is said to have used to kill himself, though this is probably an error[9]. It requires a large dose if it is to be lethal (this contradicts with the notes above on toxicity[K]), and death from this plant can be very painful whilst Socrates is said to have died without pain[9]. Another report says that poisonous doses cause paralysis, which starts at the feet and moves up the body. There is no pain, the mind remains clear and lucid until death, which is caused by asphyxia when paralysis reaches the chest[13]. The whole plant has a foetid smell[21].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Altmann. H. Poisonous Plants and Animals. Chatto and Windus 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-7011-2526-8

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  3. Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218

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  4. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  5. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

  6. Stary. F. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-600-35666-3

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  7. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

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  8. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

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  9. Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6

    ↩1↩2

  10. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

    ↩1↩2

  11. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

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  12. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2

  13. Castro. M. The Complete Homeopathy Handbook. Macmillan. London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-333-55581-3

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  14. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  15. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

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  16. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

    ↩1↩2↩3

  17. Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-85613-067-2

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  18. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  19. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

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  20. Frohne. D. and Pf�nder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984-00-00 ISBN 0723408394

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  21. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  22. Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. HMSO 1984-00-00 ISBN 0112425291

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  23. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

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