▁be ▁associated ▁with ▁flying ▁o int ments ▁in ▁w itch craft . ▁Native ▁Americans ▁used ▁hem lock ▁extract ▁as ▁arrow ▁poison . ▁ ▁While ▁the ▁yellow ▁pitch er ▁plant ▁and ▁fool ' s ▁par s ley ▁also ▁contain ▁con i ine , ▁there ▁are ▁no ▁reports ▁of ▁traditional ▁uses ▁for ▁these ▁plants . ▁ ▁Ph arm ac ology ▁and ▁to xic ology ▁The ▁( R )- ( − ) ▁en anti omer ▁of ▁con i ine ▁is ▁the ▁more ▁bi olog ically ▁active , ▁at ▁least ▁in ▁one ▁system ▁( TE - 6 7 1 ▁cells ▁express ing ▁human ▁f etal ▁nic ot in ic ▁neur om us cular ▁re cept ors ), ▁and ▁in ▁mouse ▁bio ass ay , ▁the ▁same ▁en anti omer ▁and ▁the ▁rac em ic ▁mixture ▁are ▁about ▁two - fold ▁more ▁to xic ▁than ▁the ▁( S )- ( +) ▁en anti omer ▁( see ▁below ). ▁ ▁Con i ine , ▁as ▁rac em ate ▁or ▁as ▁pure ▁en anti omer , ▁begins ▁by ▁binding ▁and ▁stim ulating ▁the ▁nic ot in ic ▁re ceptor ▁on ▁the ▁post - syn apt ic ▁memb rane ▁of ▁the ▁neur om us cular ▁j unction . ▁The ▁subsequent ▁dep olar ization ▁results ▁in ▁nic ot in ic ▁to x icity ; ▁as ▁con i ine ▁stays ▁bound ▁to ▁the ▁re ceptor , ▁the ▁n erve ▁stays ▁dep olar ized , ▁in activ ating ▁it . ▁This ▁results , ▁system ically , ▁in ▁a ▁fla cc id ▁par al ysis