I don’t think it’s the picnic you envision.
What are the symptoms of hemlock poisoning?
Ingestion of the hemlock plant can take 30 minutes to a few hours to give rise to the poisoning symptoms. The severity of the symptoms depends on how long the plant has been in your system.
The common signs and symptoms of hemlock poisoning include:
Shivering (tremors)
Burning sensation in the abdomen
Increased salivation
Dilated pupils
Muscle pain
Paralysis of muscles
Lack of coordination in movements
Rapid, weak pulse
Inability to speak
Convulsions
Unconsciousness
Coma
Respiratory failure
Kidney failure
> What are the symptoms of hemlock poisoning? <
It beats many other methods of execution: being burned at the stake, being drawn and quartered, etc. And you’ve got a bit of time to steady yourself. Nobody is dragging you anywhere.
But yeah. Those who were with Socrates at the time of his death wrote that it was a bit messy. Any modern method of execution along those lines would have to employ a better poison.
(Himmler and Goering would probably recommend cyanide.)
Is hemlock related to tequila? Those symptoms sound familiar.