Medicine
Fact-checked

At TheHealthBoard, we're committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy information. Our expert-authored content is rigorously fact-checked and sourced from credible authorities. Discover how we uphold the highest standards in providing you with reliable knowledge.

Learn more...

What is Wolfsbane?

T. Carrier
T. Carrier

Wolfsbane is a flowering plant consisting of over 200 species. A member of the buttercup family, the plant has many alternative names, including women’s bane, leopard’s bane, devil’s helmet, blue rocket, monkshood, aconite, and its official name, aconitum. The plant has laid claim to many diverse uses, ranging from herbal medicine to poisonous weaponry.

The structure of wolfsbane is relatively simple. The plant grows as a long, straight stem, and from this stem protrude dark green leaves and a helmet-shaped flower with anywhere from two to ten petals. Flowers come in a range of colors, from blue to yellow to pink. As a perennial plant, wolfsbane is hardy and can typically live numerous years. It naturally grows in damp, high elevations.

Wolfsbane is associated with the occult.
Wolfsbane is associated with the occult.

While wolfsbane can be found in many flower gardens, it also has other non-traditional uses. For example, many species of the plant contain roots that are poisonous. As a result, humans have often harvested the roots and synthesize them into a poison for use on weapons in hunting and war. This practice is particularly common in certain rural tribal areas of China and Japan. Even a small amount of exposure to the roots can produce tingling and numbness, and large-scale exposure can induce nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rapid heartbeat, and even death.

Herbalists may use wolfsbane to treat appendicitis.
Herbalists may use wolfsbane to treat appendicitis.

In contrast, Chinese herbal medicine finds many beneficial uses for the plant. Herbalists have claimed successful treatments for the following ailments: general pain, fever, chills, urinary issues, colds, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, and appendicitis, to name a few. The herb’s purported capability to numb and slow body functions generates these treatments. Due to its possible toxic effects, however, herbal medicine specialists typically prepare only small doses, and in many treatments the wolfsbane is diluted with ginger and other substances. Traditional physicians also occasionally utilized the plant in the early 20th century as a numbing form of anesthesia applied to skin or respiratory areas.

Wolfsbane is often diluted with ginger.
Wolfsbane is often diluted with ginger.

Wolfsbane has found its way into supernatural lore as well. Its name derives from the plant’s storied capabilities with werewolves: either as an agent of transformation or an agent of death. In addition, the word frequently appears in witchcraft spells. Famed playwright William Shakespeare even referenced the plant as an evil hypnotic drug with dangerous powers of suggestion.

Herbalists claim that fever, chills, and many other issues can be treated with wolfsbane.
Herbalists claim that fever, chills, and many other issues can be treated with wolfsbane.

The secret of successfully growing wolfsbane is close imitation of its natural conditions. Seeds should be kept in a wet, cold state for several weeks before planting. When handling seeds, one should be careful as they contain poisonous elements. The seeds should be sown in temperatures of around 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), and the plant should be kept out of direct sunlight. A healthy wolfsbane plant will bloom in the summer and can grow up to 98 inches (about 250 centimeters) tall.

Discuss this Article

Post your comments
Login:
Forgot password?
Register:
    • Wolfsbane is associated with the occult.
      By: Hunta
      Wolfsbane is associated with the occult.
    • Herbalists may use wolfsbane to treat appendicitis.
      By: joshya
      Herbalists may use wolfsbane to treat appendicitis.
    • Wolfsbane is often diluted with ginger.
      By: GIS
      Wolfsbane is often diluted with ginger.
    • Herbalists claim that fever, chills, and many other issues can be treated with wolfsbane.
      By: JackF
      Herbalists claim that fever, chills, and many other issues can be treated with wolfsbane.
    • Wolfsbane has been used to treat heart palpitations.
      By: Marin Conic
      Wolfsbane has been used to treat heart palpitations.
    • Chinese herbalists use wolfsbane to treat high blood pressure.
      By: WavebreakMediaMicro
      Chinese herbalists use wolfsbane to treat high blood pressure.
    • Pain felt on the right side is often consistent with appendicitis.
      By: and.one
      Pain felt on the right side is often consistent with appendicitis.