Black hen is a medicinal plant that has been used in medicine for many years. It is highly poisonous, therefore it is rarely used directly - it is more often used as a raw material in the pharmaceutical industry. What properties does it have and is it safe?

Contents:

  1. Black Lulek: what do you need to know about him?
  2. Black Lulek: appearance
  3. Black hen: properties
  4. Black hen: application
  5. Black hen: poisoning

Black hen( Hyoscyamus nigerL.) is a plant known already in antiquity. According to legends, its use was even recommended by Hippocrates, who believed that it was ideal for relieving pain in patients with tetanus or with a high fever.

At the turn of the century, it was used both by doctors and people dealing with folk medicine, i.e. healers, herbalists, as well as shamans and women referred to as witches by society.

It should be emphasized that the black hen's composition contains a mixture of alkaloids that have a very strong effect on the body, therefore, if used improperly, it can even lead to death.

Thus, although it can be found on meadows, wastelands and in many other places of human activity, it should be realized that it is completely toxic, therefore it cannot be used alone, and certainly not without an appropriate knowledge and experience.

Black Lulek: what you need to know about him

Black hen (Hyoscyamus niger L.), also known as black fawn, black glaze, frog borscht or venomous hen, is an annual plant, less often two-year-old, belonging to the nightshade family, i.e. the same as popular vegetables such as tomato, potato and pepper.

It is 15-100 cm tall, with a slightly branched hairy stem and ovate, serrated leaves.

Blooms from June to September - during this period the stem is covered with large, light yellow bell-shaped flowers with dark, even black veins.

The fruits of the black henbane are bags filled with small, black seeds that look like poppy seeds. They appear on plants from August to November, when they are also dispersed by the wind.

They can produce around 10,000 seeds a year,however, research shows that there are specimens that can produce many more, even around 500,000. It is worth knowing that they are also characterized by a long germination capacity, which researchers estimate even for over 110 years.

The characteristic feature of this plant is also its smell, described by many as unpleasant. The essential oils contained in the plant prevent both the flowers and the leaves from exuding an inviting fragrance, and also make the parts sticky to the touch.

Black hen is a plant that is susceptible to fungi and other pests that cause disease. You can also find a larva and an adult beetle therePsylliodesa hyoscyami .

Black Lulek: appearance

Although the black hen comes from Asia, it has now spread to many continents and it can be easily found in our country. You can also meet other species, including white, Egyptian, gold and purple henbane.

Most often, however, the black hen can be found in human-used space, e.g. in garbage dumps, dumps, rubble, wastelands, etc. It can also often be seen in cultivated fields, where it is treated as a weed.

An interesting fact is that in countries outside Poland (e.g. in Asia) it is a cultivated plant that is necessary for the production of certain drugs. The plant can also be found in gardens, where it is also willingly grown.

It is important that it grows best in sunny positions with fertile soils. Lulek the black is not favored by shade and moisture.

Black hen: properties

Although the black hen is a poisonous plant, thanks to the substances it contains, it is also useful in medicine. It contains a mixture of alkaloids, the most of which are:

  • atropine
  • scopolamina
  • hyoscyamina

Each of them is a highly toxic substance belonging to the group of tropic alkaloids.

It is worth emphasizing that atropine is a substance that induces local anesthesia (which is why it is contained, for example, in drugs for ulcers), increases the pressure in the eye (it is often used during eye fundus examination), and also stimulates the respiratory center (it is helpful in patients with for bronchial asthma).

In turn, scopolamine has the opposite properties to atropine - it has a calming effect on the nervous system. Thanks to its properties, it inhibits muscle tremors (therefore it is used in preparations during the treatment of Parkinson's disease).

On the other hand, hyoscyamine, also called L-atropine, inhibits the secretion in the gastrointestinal glands, as well as in the sweat and salivary glands. Additionally, it doesproperties causing vasodilation, and in high doses even paralysis of the peripheral nervous system.

Each of these alkaloids is soluble in water and alcohol.

Black hen has the following properties:

  • calming
  • relaxing
  • sleepy
  • diastolic
  • detoxifying
  • anesthetic
  • painkillers,
  • hallucinogenic and intoxicating

Black hen: application

Black hen is a poisonous plant which, if consumed in excess, can even lead to death. It is worth remembering, however, that safe doses of this plant bring many medicinal benefits, which is why over the years it was made of, among others, oils, tinctures, infusions, decoctions, ointments, tablets and suppositories.

Black hen was known in the old days, where it was used both in unprocessed form and in the form of a decoction or ointment.

In the Middle Ages it was used e.g. as a popular poison.

Legends report that witches also used it, because they made it into the so-called "flying ointment" and under its influence they allegedly not only flew, but also had contact with the afterlife (which was clearly possible due to hallucinations, hallucinations and dizziness caused by it).

In addition, in the old days, black henbane was also an ideal plant for fighting rodents and dyeing clothes.

It was also believed that the black hen helps with various diseases, including

  • tooth and ear pain
  • rheumatism
  • seasickness
  • neuralgia
  • hemorrhoids
  • painful periods
  • eye inflammation
  • sciatica
  • arthritis

It was also used as a narcotic in surgical procedures, as a hypnotic, as well as during inhalation in patients with asthma and in stomach ailments such as diarrhea.

Currently, thanks to its properties, black hen is used in pharmacology and its composition includes sedative and diastolic drugs, as well as preparations used in ophthalmology.

It is also sometimes used as a detoxifying substance (in people who have overdosed on drugs such as morphine).

It is rarely used as a local anesthetic and analgesic.

Although many plants are eagerly used for medicinal purposes, black henbane has lost its importance over time and is currently only used in professional production.

You have to remember that the people who use it have specialist knowledge and experience that will enable the skilful application of the henbaneand balancing the correct, safe dose.

If you want to use it individually, consult your doctor or phytotherapist.

Black hen: poisoning

Black hen is a poisonous plant which, when used in a toxic dose, is dangerous in both dried and fresh form. It is a plant that should be taken with caution as it is very easy to overdose, which can even lead to death.

Poisonous substances are contained in the whole plant, but the most toxic substances are the root and seeds.

Black hen's toxicity is due to the alkaloids contained in it, such as hyoscyamine and scopolamine, which, when taken in excess, have a negative effect on the functioning of the central nervous system.

Black hen poisoning is dangerous and results in symptoms such as:

  • psychomotor agitation
  • anxiety
  • convulsions
  • hallucinations
  • dry mouth
  • pupil dilation
  • skin redness
  • heart rhythm disturbance
  • trouble breathing
  • paresis
  • vomiting and gastric problems
  • loss of consciousness, or in the worst case even death

A person who has poisoned with a black hen should be taken to the hospital as soon as possible. Until a medical consultation, try to induce vomiting, which will help to get rid of the substance from the body.

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About the authorSonia Młodzianowska Journalist, editor, copywriter. He publishes in he alth and parenting magazines and portals. He belongs to the Journalists for He alth Association.

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