Hemlock
Parts Usually Used
Poison hemlock: Poison—identify to avoid! Hemlock spruce: inner bark and leaves
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Poison hemlock: A species of evergreen plant; the volatile oil extracted from dried, unripe fruit of Conium maculatum, poison hemlock or a poison made from the hemlock. A European plant with compound umbels of small, white flowers and finely divided leaves. A branched perennial, 2-6 feet tall. Stems are hollow, grooved; purple-spotted. Leaves are carrot-like, but in overall outline more like an equilateral triangle, and with more divisions; leaves ill-scented when bruised.
Leafstalks are hairless. Flowers are white, in umbels; May to August. Similar in appearance to caraway, valerian, Queen Anne’s lace, wild carrot, etc. Care should be taken in identifying the hemlock plant; Water hemlock: A North American and Asiatic evergreen tree of the pine family, with drooping branches and short needles; the bark is used in tanning. Hemlock spruce: A North American evergreen tree growing 50-100 feet high; the bark is a dull brownish-gray on the outside and red underneath and is made up of large, rough scales.
The leaves are short and needle-like, and both male and female flowers grow in catkins. The woody seed cones are less than an inch long. Needles are flat; 5/16-9/16 inches long; on short slender stalks. Needles are bright green above, silvery whitish beneath. Cones drooping, to 1 inch long, with few scales; scales rounded. The oleoresin derived from the bark is dark reddish brown, opaque, and has a characteristic turpentine-like fragrance.
This is the kind of bark tanners use in making shoe leather.
Where Found
Poison Hemlock is found in waste ground in most of the United States. Hemlock spruce: found in mountain ravines and woods and in swampy areas. Hills in rocky woods. Nova Scotia to Maryland; Georgia mountains; Alabama to Kentucky, Indiana, eastern Minnesota.
Medicinal Properties
Poison hemlock: whole plant a traditional folk cancer remedy, narcotic, sedative, analgesic, spasmolytic, anti-aphrodisiac. Hemlock spruce: astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic.
Uses
Historically, herbalists utilized hemlock spruce as an astringent home remedy, preparing teas from the inner bark, leaves, or young twigs for kidney and bladder complaints, dropsy, and to stimulate urine flow. The preparation was traditionally employed as an enema for diarrhea and colon troubles, as a douche for leukorrhea and uterine conditions, and as an external wash for sores and ulcers.
It was also utilized as a gargle or mouthwash for throat complaints and mouth sores. Powdered bark was sometimes placed inside footwear to address foot perspiration, tenderness, and odor. Native American traditions made use of teas brewed from the leafy twig tips in steam baths to manage rheumatism, colds, fevers, coughs, diarrhea, stomach troubles, and scurvy.
Warning
Poison hemlock is a deadly poison. Ingestion can be lethal. Contact can cause dermatitis; juice is highly toxic. The young poison hemlock plant closely resembles Osha root. Symptoms of hemlock poisoning: weakness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, difficult breathing, paralysis, and death. Treatment for this poisoning: empty stomach by means of a stomach pump or an emetic. Give cathartic.
Treat respiratory failure with artificial respiration and oxygen. Hemlock spruce is not considered poisonous when inner bark and twigs are used but should never be used during pregnancy. Use only under medical supervision.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY.
copyright 1974. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, first printed by the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, in 1928, this Dover edition 1974 American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary , 15th Edition, F.
A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974