Henbane, Hyoscyamus niger

improvement when they consume three cups of Greater Burdock Root Tea daily. Improvement is slow and steady, taking about two months to achieve maximum benefits. Sore Throats and Tonsillitis: For acute tonsillitis and other sore throats, try Greater Burdock Tea. It relieves pain, inflammation, coughing, and speeds healing. The greater burdock also acts as an antibacterial to kill the harmful bacteria and cure the infection.

Harvesting: The root must be harvested before it withers at the end of the first year. The best time is after it seeds until late autumn when the roots become very fibrous. Immature flower stalks are harvested in late spring before the flowers appear. Care must be taken when harvesting the seeds. They have tiny, hooked hairs that can latch onto the mucus membranes if inhaled. Recipes. Anti-Cancer Decoction: To make 1gallon (4 liters) you need 1-ounce greater burdock root, powdered, 3/4 ounces (21g) sheep sorrel, powdered, 1/4 ounces (7g) slippery elm bark, powdered and 1-gallon (4 liters) distilled water. Equipment: 8-pint (4 Liters) canning jars and lids, sterile, large pot, capable of holding 1 gallon (4 liters) or more, with a tight-fitting lid and boiling water canner. Bring the greater burdock, sheep sorrel, and slippery elm bark to a boil in 1 gallon (4 liters) of distilled water, tightly covered. Boil the herbs, tightly covered, for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and stir the mixture. Cover tightly and let the decoction steep for 12 hours, stirring again after 6 hours. After 12 hours, bring it back to a boil and pour it through a fine mesh strainer or a coffee filter. Pour the decoction into pint (500ml) jars while still hot, leaving ½ inch (1.25 cm) headroom. Cap the jars. Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. The decoction will keep for 1 year in sealed jars. Store in the refrigerator after opening. Dosage: Mix 1/4 cup of the decoction with 1/4 cup of distilled water. Drink 3 times a day: 2 hours before breakfast, 2 hours after lunch and before bedtime on an empty stomach. Wait at least 2 hours after taking the decoction before eating again.

Henbane is poisonous, so it is advised that you use it with caution. Although native to Europe, it has been cultivated in North America for many years. It’s a beautiful plant with a foul smell, and a member of the Solanaceae (Nightshade) family. Identification: Hyoscyamus niger grows from 1 to 3 feet (0.9 meters) tall. A mature henbane plant has leafy, thick, hairy, widely-branched, erect stems. It is an annual and biannual and the biannual growth is used for medicine. Its foul-smelling lobed alternate leaves are grayish-green or yellowish-green in color and have white veins. They spread out like a rosette and are coarsely toothed, large, and wide, growing up to 6 inches (15 cm) wide and 8 inches (20 cm) long. The 5-petaled flowers are a funnel shape and are brownishyellow in color with dark purple veins. Flowers have a

Henbane, photo by K.B. Simoglou - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,