Found in the Hermetikon archive

Henbane

Hyoscyamus niger

Henbane appears in Hermetikon as an archive-backed plant entry, with references across historical medical, magical, symbolic, and ritual contexts where the source texts support them.

Risk: high
Books: 23
Contexts: 4
Mentions: 124

Overview Reading Contexts Citations Related Books

Archive Profile

Identity, safety, and search aliases used to connect this herb to the archive.

Herb identity

Common name: henbane
Latin name: Hyoscyamus niger(candidate)
Identity note: High-risk occult herb.

Safety

high

Contains tropane alkaloids and is associated with anticholinergic toxicity.

Historical archive citations are not medical advice. Use modern clinical and poison-control sources for ingestion, dosage, pregnancy, and toxicity questions.

NCBI Bookshelf: Contains tropane alkaloids and is associated with anticholinergic toxicity.

Aliases

henbaneHyoscyamus niger

Henbane in Historical Sources

Curated archive synthesis of recurring uses, recipes, rituals, and interpretive problems.

Hermetikon's curated reading of Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) is built from 3 source-linked archive notes and 1 preparation or ritual-use entry. The strongest recurring contexts are astrology, identity, and safety. Each note below links back to the archive source used for the claim.

Safety

high

Culpeper explicitly says white, black, and yellow henbane stupefy the senses and are not to be taken inwardly; his uses are external and sedative.

Culpeper's Complete Herbal | Nicholas Culpeper | 1653

HERBS AND THEIR LEAVES.

Astrology

high

Agrippa transmits the Hermes-Albertus planetary list in which henbane is assigned to Jupiter, while daffodil, ribwort, knotgrass, vervain, cinquefoil, and goosefoot are assigned elsewhere.

Three Books of Occult Philosophy | Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim | 1533

Page 118

Identity

high

Hill separates white henbane, Hyoscyamus albus, from black henbane and describes it as a garden-kept Italian and German plant, so the archive evidence is not always Hyoscyamus niger.

The Family Herbal | John Hill | 1755

Page 218

Preparations and ritual uses

external application

high

Culpeper restricts henbane to external use: outward applications for inflammations and hot gout, and temple application to provoke sleep.

Culpeper's Complete Herbal | Nicholas Culpeper | 1653

HERBS AND THEIR LEAVES.

Henbane Archive Contexts

Compact source patterns from the extracted citation set.

Medicine

1 passage across 1 book; strongest source: The Family Herbal.

Matched as henbane; high confidence.

Astrology

5 passages across 5 books; strongest source: British Goblins.

Matched as henbane; high confidence.

Preparation

7 passages across 7 books; strongest source: Anatomy of Melancholy.

Matched as henbane; high confidence.

Safety

2 passages across 2 books; strongest source: Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus.

Matched as henbane; high confidence.

Henbane Cited Excerpts

Representative public passages with the herb mention highlighted and linked to archive source material.

5 shown

Culpeper's Complete Herbal

Nicholas Culpeper

1653

"...ur of the body, helps the dropsy and spleen, sore throats, and noise in the ears. See Syrup of Hysop. *Hyosciamus, &c.* Henbane. The white Henbane is held to be cold in the third degree, the black or common Henbane and the yellow, in the fourth. They stupify the senses, and therefore not to be taken inwardly, outwardly applied, they help inflammations, hot gouts: applied to the temples they provoke sleep. *Hypericon.* St. Johnâ€™s Wort. It is as gallant a wound-herb as any is, either given inwardly, or outwardly applied to the wound: it is hot and dry, opens st..."

HERBS AND THEIR LEAVES.Open in Reader

Preparationalias: henbanehigh confidence

King's American Dispensatory

Harvey Wickes Felter

1854

"...five-leaved water 14.54 garden 1743 parslev 1454, 1743 water." 14.55 Hemp nettle 1126 New Zealand 1133 Hen, common 2081 Henbane 1032 yellow.. 1464 Henbit 2034 Hepar sulphur 1544, 2003 sulphuris 1543, 1544, 2003 Hepatica 985 acutiloba 985 Americana 985, 986 triloba 985 Heptane 1397, 1398 Ht-racleura 986 giganteum 987 lanatum 986 spliondylium 987 Heradin 987 Herapatbite 1623, 1620 Herb mastich 1924 Syrian 1924 of Brace 9.56 Kobert 929 Herba adianthi aurei 1.537 con-oliila' 1833 iaca' 2079 marl veri 1924 men tine acutic 1255 Romanre 1255 polygida' 1746 salicariic ..."

Page 1302Open in Reader

Preparationalias: henbanehigh confidence

Three Books of Occult Philosophy

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim

1533

"...peony. But Hermes, whom Albertus follows, distributes to the Planets these, viz. : To Saturn, the daffodil; to Jupiter, henbane; to Mars, rib-wort; to the Sun, knot-grass; to Venus, vervain; to Mercury, cinque-foil; to the Moon, goose-foot. We also know by experience that asparagus is under Aries, and garden basil under Scorpio; for of the shavings of ram'shorn, sowed, comes forth asparagus; and garden basil, rubbed betwixt two stones, produceth scorpions. Moreover, I will, according to the doctrine of Hermes, and of Thebit, reckon up some of the more eminent"

Page 118Open in Reader

Preparationalias: henbanehigh confidence

The Family Herbal

John Hill

1755

"...e given in small doses against the bloody flux, and it is said with great success; I have not known it tried. ### WHITE HENBANE. *Hyoscyamus albus.* A NATIVE of Italy and Germany, kept in our gardens. It is a foot high, and has something of the aspect of the black henbane, but not so dismal. The stalk is round, thick, and of a pale green; the leaves are large, broad, but short, and a little indented at the edges; they are of a yellowish green, and somewhat hairy; the flowers are small and yellow, and the seeds are whitish. The seeds of this kind are preferred t..."

Page 218Open in Reader

Medicinealias: henbanehigh confidence

The Evil Eye

Frederick Thomas Elworthy

1895

"...ying or intoxicating. These properties have especially been ascribed to the juices of the poppy, the deadly nightshade, henbane, the Indian hemp and the mandrÃ¡gora, which for us now is the true mandrake, whose juice has long been known as possessing soporific influence. Ulysses and his companions succumbed to the influence of Nepenthe ; and, nineteen hundred years ago, when crucifixion was a common punishment of malefactors, it was customary to assuage their last hours upon the cross by a draught of vinegar with gall or myrrh, which had real or supposititious ..."

FOOTNOTES:Open in Reader

Safetyalias: henbanehigh confidence

Books Mentioning Henbane

Complete public source inventory, placed after the interpretive reading so the page opens with the most useful synthesis first.

23 books

Culpeper's Complete Herbal

Nicholas Culpeper | 1653

Archive Profile

Herb identity

Safety

Aliases

Henbane in Historical Sources

Safety

Astrology

Identity

Preparations and ritual uses

external application

Henbane Archive Contexts

Medicine

Astrology

Preparation

Safety

Henbane Cited Excerpts

Culpeper's Complete Herbal

King's American Dispensatory

Three Books of Occult Philosophy

The Family Herbal

The Evil Eye

Related Archive Material

Related herbs

Books Mentioning Henbane