I wrote this post right after reading Katherine Webb’s latest
novel "A half-forgotten song".
Poison hemlock (Conium
maculatum) is a very common weed distributed worldwide. And believe it or
not, it belongs to the carrot family!
You can find hemlock on river banks, or in woodland, pastures and waste ground.
It is believed that
the juice of this plant was used to execute criminals in ancient Greece. It is
also thought to have been the poison that killed Socrates in 399 BC.
Hemlock contains chemicals called alkaloids which are found
in fruits, vegetables and flowers. Concentration of the alkaloids is what makes
the plants more or less poisonous. The concentration depends on many factors
like the variety and age of the plant, as well as the environmental conditions
in which it grows. In 2013, up to eight alkaloids had been identified in poison
hemlock, some of which had also been demonstrated to be toxic and to induce foetal
malformations.
Hemlock acts on the central nervous system causing symptoms
like trembling, dilation of pupils, salivation, nausea and convulsions. Very
bad poisoning can also cause coma and death due to respiratory failure. I was astonished
to read that some of the cases of human poisoning happened when people mistook
the hemlock leaves for parsley, or the roots for parsnips, or the seeds for
anise.
But not everything is scary about hemlock. It was used in
ancient medicine as a sedative, analgesic and antispasmodic. Even an article
published in 1997 describes its use in homeopathy. Indians from the north of
Mexico also use hemlock to stupefy fish and help their economy during low crop
season.
Read it, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
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