: a poisonous fetid Eurasian herb (Hyoscyamus niger) of the nightshade family with yellowish-brown flowers and sticky hairy leaves that yield hyoscyamine and scopolamine
Examples of henbane in a Sentence
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Black henbane has been found at archaeological sites in the Netherlands that date back to the Neolithic Period.
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Rachel Nuwer, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024
The hollowed bone, however, likely served as a container for black henbane, indicating that humans intentionally stored and used the seeds, researchers argued.
—Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024
The discovery marks the fifth example of intentional ancient black henbane use in north-western Europe, according to the university.
—Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024
Ancient scholars like Pliny the Elder wrote about black henbane’s use as a treatment for fever, cough and pain.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024
At the Houten-Castellum site, archaeologists found traces of black henbane, but only two of them appeared to be intentional, according to researchers.
—Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024
The results provided direct evidence of the consumption of psychoactive compounds produced by a variety of nightshade plants – mandrake, henbane and joint pine, in this case.
—Gary Laderman, Fortune Well, 17 July 2023
But during the Bronze Age, European shamans would have had to use the plants available to them, the study suggests, including such nightshades as mandrake, henbane, thorn apple and joint pine.
—Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 13 Apr. 2023
Our Bronze Age ancestors likely consumed those compounds by eating certain plants, including mandrake, henbane, horn apple and joint pine.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Apr. 2023
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Rachel Nuwer, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024
The hollowed bone, however, likely served as a container for black henbane, indicating that humans intentionally stored and used the seeds, researchers argued.
—Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024
The discovery marks the fifth example of intentional ancient black henbane use in north-western Europe, according to the university.
—Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024
Ancient scholars like Pliny the Elder wrote about black henbane’s use as a treatment for fever, cough and pain.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024
At the Houten-Castellum site, archaeologists found traces of black henbane, but only two of them appeared to be intentional, according to researchers.
—Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024
The results provided direct evidence of the consumption of psychoactive compounds produced by a variety of nightshade plants – mandrake, henbane and joint pine, in this case.
—Gary Laderman, Fortune Well, 17 July 2023
But during the Bronze Age, European shamans would have had to use the plants available to them, the study suggests, including such nightshades as mandrake, henbane, thorn apple and joint pine.
—Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 13 Apr. 2023
Our Bronze Age ancestors likely consumed those compounds by eating certain plants, including mandrake, henbane, horn apple and joint pine.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Apr. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Henbane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/henbane. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
henbane
noun
hen·bane
ˈhen-ˌbān 
: a poisonous fetid Old World herb of the genus Hyoscyamus (H. niger) that has sticky hairy dentate leaves and yellowish brown flowers, contains the alkaloids hyoscyamine and scopolamine, and is the source of hyoscyamus
called also black henbane, insane root
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