What's in the "Garden of Hekate"?
The most notable one is aconite (Aconitum napellus). It’s a beautiful, blue flowering plant of the buttercup family and happens to be the most poisonous plant in Europe. Its creation myth is one of my favorites!
Aconite, also called Wolf’s bane or monkshood, appeared when Hercules fought Cerberus, the three-headed hellhound, and dragged them out into the sunlight. When the hound’s saliva touched the earth, an aconit flower grew from it. The goddess Hekate then found the flower and made it sacred to her.
In the Argonauts myth, Medea is said to employ Aconit to kill Jason when he confesses not wanting to be her lover anymore.
Physically speaking, Aconit has always been used medicinally and is still used nowadays. The most toxic part of the plant is its roots; which lethal dose for humans is 2mg, leading to respiratory paralysis and heart disfunction.
