henbane

[hen-beyn]

noun

1. an Old World plant, Hyoscyamus niger, of the nightshade family, having sticky, hairy fetid foliage and greenish-yellow flowers, and possessing narcotic and poisonous properties especially destructive to domestic fowls.

henbane

/ ˈhɛnˌbeɪn /

noun

1. a poisonous solanaceous European plant, Hyoscyamus niger, with sticky hairy leaves and funnel-shaped greenish flowers: yields the drug hyoscyamine

Word History and Origins

Origin of henbane¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; hen, bane

Example Sentences

The specks turned out to be seeds of black henbane, a potently poisonous member of the nightshade family that can be medicinal or hallucinogenic depending on the dosage.

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To ancient physicians, black henbane was a source of both fascination and fear.

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The Solanaceae family is a vast one with more than 2,500 members including tomatoes, potatoes, chillies, aubergines, peppers, tobacco, deadly nightshade and henbane.

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Atropine and scopolamine, powerful hallucinogens, can be found in plants in the nightshade family, among them mandrake, henbane and thorn apple.

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“Hemlock. Belladonna, henbane, or strychnine. I can dissolve your innards, boil your blood.”

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