Conium

Hemlock

Conium maculatum

Also known as hemlock, this toxic herb was used by the ancient Greeks as a "state poison" to kill criminals; Socrates was forced to drink its juice. The Romans, Dioscorides, and Pliny used the plant medicinally for skin disorders, complaints of the nervous system and liver; breast tumors, and cancer, to calm sexual urges, and as a painkiller.

Parts Used

Juice expressed from the leaves and flowering stems.

Uses

Conium is used for glandular enlargements such as cancerous tumors, especially in the breast, and nervous disorders with gradual paralysis in the muscles from the feet upward. This paralysis may be accompanied by sensitivity to light.

The remedy is also given for dizziness that is worse when lying down or turning the head; sore breasts before and during menstruation and in pregnancy; premature ejaculation; and prostate enlargement.

Source

Grows in Europe, eastern Asia, the US, Canada, and Chile.