A plant that is poisonous or harmful, specifically applied to various toxic plants in folklore and herbalism.
From bane (poison) + wort (plant or herb). Wort is Old English for 'plant,' seen in plant names like mugwort and liverwort. Named for its toxic properties.
Medieval herbalists catalogued 'baneworts' in poisoning manuals that read like ancient textbooks on toxicology—some were used as medicines, some as weapons, and the distinction came down to dosage and intent.
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