Considering hemlock

[goodoldnoname923]

Considering grabbing some hemlock roots,i know their located usually near bodies of water such as ponds and rivers and i decided to go out and see if its worth collecting them. Would anyone know exactly where they are to be found? I'd ask more questions about taking them later rn i'm just looking to obtain them

 

[[..redacted..]]

Considering grabbing some hemlock roots,i know their located usually near bodies of water such as ponds and rivers and i decided to go out and see if its worth collecting them. Would anyone know exactly where they are to be found? I'd ask more questions about taking them later rn i'm just looking to obtain them

From the description I think you might be thinking of hemlock water dropwort, a different plant (but still very poisonous). It sounds like a horrible way to go:

"Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, seizures, hallucinations, ataxia, haemorrhaging of the brain and collapse of the lungs."

Hemlock is found in woodland, disturbed ground and poorly drained soils near bodies of water:

Conium maculatum - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

It causes ascending paralysis which eventually affects the breathing muscles. It also sounds pretty unpleasant:

"A short time after ingestion, the alkaloids induce potentially fatal neuromuscular dysfunction due to failure of the respiratory muscles. Acute toxicity, if not lethal, may resolve in spontaneous recovery, provided further exposure is avoided. Death can be prevented by artificial ventilation until the effects have worn off 48–72 hours later. For an adult, the ingestion of more than 100 mg (0.1 gram) of coniine (about six to eight fresh leaves, or a smaller dose of the seeds or root) may be fatal. Narcotic-like effects can be observed as soon as 30 minutes after ingestion of green leaf matter of the plant, with victims falling asleep and unconsciousness gradually deepening until death a few hours later."

 

[Black Sheep One]

The hard part of hemlock is finding it. If found, it will be destroyed. No one wants a poisonus weed around.

 

[Light_]

The hard part of hemlock is finding it. If found, it will be destroyed. No one wants a poisonus weed around.

This is not a true statement. It grows commonly and everywhere.

 

[goodoldnoname923]

From the description I think you might be thinking of hemlock water dropwort, a different plant (but still very poisonous). It sounds like a horrible way to go:

"Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, seizures, hallucinations, ataxia, haemorrhaging of the brain and collapse of the lungs."

Hemlock is found in woodland, disturbed ground and poorly drained soils near bodies of water:

Conium maculatum - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

It causes ascending paralysis which eventually affects the breathing muscles. It also sounds pretty unpleasant:

"A short time after ingestion, the alkaloids induce potentially fatal neuromuscular dysfunction due to failure of the respiratory muscles. Acute toxicity, if not lethal, may resolve in spontaneous recovery, provided further exposure is avoided. Death can be prevented by artificial ventilation until the effects have worn off 48–72 hours later. For an adult, the ingestion of more than 100 mg (0.1 gram) of coniine (about six to eight fresh leaves, or a smaller dose of the seeds or root) may be fatal. Narcotic-like effects can be observed as soon as 30 minutes after ingestion of green leaf matter of the plant, with victims falling asleep and unconsciousness gradually deepening until death a few hours later."

So i'd need to go to a woodland area we're exactly would i look to find them then?

 

[Linda]

Considering grabbing some hemlock roots,i know their located usually near bodies of water such as ponds and rivers and i decided to go out and see if its worth collecting them. Would anyone know exactly where they are to be found? I'd ask more questions about taking them later rn i'm just looking to obtain them

Get yourself a good botany book first (and one that is relevant to the country you live in). Hemlock, or Conium maculatum to give it its Latin name, is one of a group of plants commonly known as umbellifers. (They belong to the family that was called Umbelliferae when I was young, but which is now more commonly called Apiaceae.) There are many species, and they are confusingly similar in overall appearance. Without a good guide to the plants of that family, you won't be able to tell hemlock apart from numerous other species that look similar but which are not poisonous (or not very poisonous). Hemlock is widely distributed but not common, whereas some other species of the group are very common, so you will need to do some moderately serious botanical study if you wish to avoid confusion and find some.

 

[[..redacted..]]

So i'd need to go to a woodland area we're exactly would i look to find them then?

Hemlock | The Wildlife Trusts

A notoriously poisonous plant, hemlock produces umbrella-like clusters of white flowers in summer. It can be found in damp places, such as ditches, riverbanks and waste ground.

www.wildlifetrusts.org

https://www.countryfile.com/wildlife/trees-plants/hemlock

Look for purple spotting on the stems and a foul smell. Don't confuse it with cow parsley (edible) or giant hogweed (sap causes photosensitive burns).

I really can't recommend pursuing this though. All plant poisons have very unpleasant effects and this is no exception. It's not going to be quick or peaceful.