“Hexing Herbs” in Ethnobotanical Perspective: A Historical Review of the Uses of Anticholinergic Solanaceae Plants in Europe

Though not the most frequently used botanical family, the Solanaceae or nightshade family has provided many plants of great importance around the world. Throughout Europe, the “hexing herbs,” plants from this family with anticholinergic alkaloids, have played an especially important role in the history and formation of traditions pertaining to plant use in many aspects of human life. Represented in Europe by the genera Atropa , Datura , Hyoscyamus , Mandragora , and Scopolia , the alkaloids hyoscyamine/atropine and scopolamine in these plants have allowed them to be used as medicines, poisons, and intoxicants, leading to the creation of a large mythos and extensive cultural valuation. Through a review of the literature, the exact roles that these “hexing herbs” have played in Europe in the past and present are discussed in this paper, ultimately showing the immense importance of these often misunderstood and vilified plants.