Warning right off the bat: This article is going to spoil the ending of Season 3 of You. If you don't wanna know what happens, look away!
Ah, wolfsbane. I knew very little of 'ye before Oct. 15, and now I'm proud to say I may have a degree in botany. After Wolfsbane became the missing piece on You and in Love and Joe's failed marriage in the Season 3 finale, I decided I needed to look up this 'lil plant? Herb? Drug? Death trap? to find out just how things went down (no pun intended) the way they did in that beautiful Nancy Meyers' kitchen in Madre Linda.
So I did what I do best and walked my little fingers over to my phone, just like Joseph Goldberg, and Googled Wolfsbane. Not because I want to be put on some list for looking into a paralytic that can be found in your garden — though from my understanding that's not super common unless you put it there — but because curious minds want to know! Plus, I love being terrified of things that could kill me, hiding in plain sight!
So here are some questions you may need answered.
WILL WOLFSBANE KILL ME?
The right amount sure will. According to LiveScience.com, "Just a few drops from the plant's roots can cause paralysis of the cardiac muscles or of the entire respiratory system, resulting in death."
WHERE DO YOU FIND WOLFSBANE?
"The greatest concentration of species of Aconitum is in Asia, with a smaller group in Europe," reports eFloras.org.
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
According to Evergreen.edu, Wolfsbane has round leaves and "5-7 well lobed segments. It has purple flowers that are helmet shaped," though I would describe them more as a sweatshirt hoodie shape when you take the ties and tighten them really tight. It can grow up to about three feet tall. Here's a picture of the little cutie in nature:
HAVE I HEARD OF WOLFSBANE BEFORE?
Probably! Even if you are not a frequent gardener or hiker/survivalist who needs to beware of these types of plants, Wolfsbane has made an appearance in pop culture quite a few times. It was used in Dracula to ward off vampires, and in Game of Thrones to kill one of Tywin Lannister's commander via a dart dipped in the poison.
WHY IS IT CALLED WOLFSBANE?
Per Evergreen.edu, Wolfsbane gets its name due to its use in folklore as a weapon against creatures like werewolves and vampires.
WHY AREN'T YOU SPELLING IT "WOLF'S BANE"?
Look, I've been going back and forth because people spell it all different ways. But I'm proudly claiming it as one word, Wolfsbane.
AND IT'S THE SAME AS ACONITE?
Yes, at least according to Joe Goldberg? Its formal genus is Aconitum, while Evergreen.edu says Wolfsbane's species is Aconitum napellus.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATIONS OF WOLFSBANE
Because you asked so nicely...
Common name: Wolfsbane, monkshood, or aconite
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Aconitum
Species: A. napellus
ARE THERE ANTIDOTES IF YOU'RE EXPOSED?
So, Poison.org has a section on its website that says, "The Bottom Line: Aconitum napellus flowers look beautiful, but swallowing any part of the plant could be deadly." But in the interest of You Season 3, I found a study featured on PubMed.com, that says "there is no antidote."
So TL;DR, stay away from it?
Images: Netflix, eFloras.org