Golden henbane
StarHyoscyamus aureus
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
In Levantine and Middle Eastern folk medicine, leaves and seeds of Hyoscyamus aureus have been employed topically for toothache, earache, and as poultices for painful swellings; smoke inhalation of seeds was used for dental pain — uses paralleling those of H. niger and reflecting the tropane-alkaloid pharmacology of the species (Lev and Amar, 2000, Ethnopharmacological survey of traditional drugs sold in Israel). Internal use is dangerous and largely abandoned.
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Botanical Description
Hyoscyamus aureus, the golden henbane, is a perennial herb of the Solanaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean, including Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Egypt, and the Levant. It grows 20–60 cm tall with sticky-glandular, hairy stems and lobed to coarsely toothed leaves with a strong fetid odor when crushed. The flowers, borne in leafy cymes, are bright yellow with a dark purple throat, funnel-shaped, and about 2–3 cm across. The fruit is a pyxis (capsule with a lid) enclosed in the persistent calyx, containing numerous small reniform seeds. It colonizes cliff crevices, old walls, ruins, and rocky limestone slopes, often at low to mid elevations. All parts are highly toxic due to tropane alkaloids, principally hyoscyamine and scopolamine.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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