A Witch and Her Poisons

[Mystic Wolf]

A Look at the Toxic Herbs Used by Witches in Past Centuries

https://exemplore.com/wicca-witchcraft/A-Witch-and-Her-Poisons-A-Lo...

Witches and Poisons Our few written accounts of the Witch Trials in the Dark Ages and Early Modern Period give us a glimpse (though most likely a distorted one) into the lives of the men and women once accused of diabolical magic. Often this included the use of potions, brews and things that would poison people the witches did not like. But others claim these poisons were actually used by witches in order to induce meditative and trance-like states of consciousness. In this context, witches could very well have been practicing a more ancient practice...one that shamans from various cultures have used for centuries in order to connect with the spiritual world.

Witches flying to a Sabbat, no doubt by using the poisonous plants in the Solanaceae family.

The Traditional Poisons: The Solanaceae Family
For as long as there has been talk of witches, using various poisons from the Solanaceae family of plants. You might not have heard of the scientific names, but you might have heard some of their common names: belladonna (deadly nightshade), mandrake, and datura. These three in particular are doused in folklore and have aided the witch in her wiles for centuries. The Solanaceae family of poisons include chemical constituents such as atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine; these ingredients have various effects on the human nervous system (amongst other bodily systems).

The Solanaceae are an ancient family of deliriants and hallucinogens that have been venerated as ‘Witches’ Weeds’ since the earliest disciples of plant lore learned of their properties. Among them are counted Henbane and Hemlock,

A Witch and Her Poisons Datura, also known as Angel’s Trumpet, Belladonna and Mandrake.

A Witch and Her Poisons of them in the course of the Poison Diaries. The Solanaceae are an ancient family of deliriants and hallucinogens that have been venerated as ‘Witches’ Weeds’ since the earliest disciples of plant lore learned of their properties. Among them are counted Henbane and Hemlock, Datura, also known as Angel’s Trumpet, Belladonna and Mandrake. Weed encounters with many of them in the course of the Poison Diaries.

The Solanaceae are an ancient family of deliriants and hallucinogens that have been venerated as ‘Witches’ Weeds’ since the earliest disciples of plant lore learned of their properties. Among them are counted Henbane and Hemlock, Datura, also known as Angel’s Trumpet, Belladonna and Mandrake. Weed encounters with many of them in the course of the Poison Diaries.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/523825000383877835/?nic_v1=1a63hHeWuu...

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Atropa Belladonna, also known as nightshade and deadly nightshade, is a poisonous herb that has been used by witches in creating flying ointments since at least the ninth century. In reality, it has probably been used for a lot longer, but we can only go off of what is written. Did you know just how deadly Belladonna can be? It contains ingredients that will speed up your heart and can be fatal if consumed by mouth. If taken in lower quantities and applied to the skin, it will cause hallucinations but will not be fatal...and this is why witches were thought to have used this poisonous herb in centuries past. By using the Belladonna herb in ointments to be rubbed on one's skin, the witch would then have visions of "flying" to coven meetings (also called Sabbats).
There have also been stories of witches using the deadly berries from the Belladonna plant to trick and poison his/her enemies.

Elder - Elderberries (a.k.a. Sambucus) are a common folk remedy — but beware. According to the CDC, the fresh leaves, flowers, bark, young buds, and particularly the roots contain a bitter alkaloid and glucoside that can produce hydrocyanic acid — which leads to cyanide poisoning. In particular, elderberry tea (if made with the elderberry leaves and branches) should be treated cautiously: it’s the most frequent cause of sickness and, rarely, death. Ripe elderberries lose their poisonous properties when cooked. And then they’re delicious

Henbane - The leaf is used to make medicine. Don’t confuse henbane, sometimes called “fetid nightshade” or “stinking nightshade,” with bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) or deadly nightshade (belladonna). Henbane leaf is used for spasms of the digestive tract. Some people apply henbane leaf oil directly to the skin for treating scar tissue.

How does it work?
Henbane contains chemicals, such as hyoscyamine and scopolamine, which might relax the muscles lining the digestive tract. Henbane might also relieve muscle tremors and have a calming effect.

Hemlock - Hemlock is yet another highly toxic plant that can cause serious health problems, even death. Conium maculatum is a genus of two poisonous species of herbaceous, perennial, flowering herbs in the Apiaceae family. The hemlock species is native to the Mediterranean region, and the other, called Conium chaerophylloides, comes from Southern Africa. Some theorize the name of “hemlock” comes from the Old English “humlice,” which was the name of the tree. The plant has other names, such as woomlick, beaver poison, poison parsley, bunk, hever, caise, devil’s flower, and gypsy flower. It even has more regional nicknames: break-your-mother’s-heart (wow!), lady’s lace, scabby hands, and others. A very inspiring plant, obviously.

The conium name derives from the Greek konas, meaning “vertigo” or “whirl”—both symptoms of the plant’s intoxicating poison. https://slate.com/technology/2014/08/poisonous-plants-socrates-dran...

Lily of the Valley - Lily of the valley can be fatal if ingested, especially to children. The method of action is through cardiac glycosides, which create an effect much like exposure to that of Digitalis, found in foxglove. The plant is classified as a “1” on the poison scale, which means it has major toxicity that can lead to death. It is also a “3” due to its often severe dermatitis.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Is Lily Of The Valley Poisonous : Understanding Lily Of The Valley Toxicity https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/lily-of-the-valle...

Monkshood -

Mandrake plant, “mandragora”, is another poison from the Solanaceae family often used by witches and sorcerers in their practice. This plant contains many of the same ingredients as the belladonna plant, and it is also said to have been used in witches' flying ointments and poisonous brews.

The plant grows in arid areas around the Mediterranean and Middle East where it has been used as a hallucinogen, painkiller, aphrodisiac and fertility drug for thousands of years. But the dose has to be right.
"In essence, if you were to consume it you would basically get hallucinations, dizziness and increased heart rate, and you could get disturbed vision as a consequence of it, and then disturbed cognition. If the dose is high enough it could kill you," says Prof Michael Heinrich from the School of Pharmacy at UCL.

Witches were said to put it in potions which sent them flying around the world on their broomsticks. An early reference to mandrake being used as a fertility drug can be found in the Bible in the Book of Genesis (30:14) where Rachel tells Leah she can spend the night with her husband in exchange for mandrakes, which she hopes will help her to conceive. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33506081

Datura, the third of the Solanaceae family I will mention, is beautiful and deadly. It has been called the devil's trumpet because the flowers are shaped like that of the fore-named instrument with little "horns" on the edges of the petals. Although the oldest of the written flying ointments do not usually mention datura, it has been used by modern day witches in their modern flying ointments and no doubt by those in the past as well (as it contains the same chemical compounds as belladonna and mandrake).

Wormwood “artemisia absinthium” is named after the Greek Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis. Most of you have probably heard of the alcoholic drink called absinthe. Absinthe's "poisonous" ingredient is wormwood, an herb that when consumed is said to cause hallucinations. This drink became very popular in the eighteenth century and was beloved by artists and writers worldwide. It has a very high content of alcohol and it tastes like black licorice. Absinthe's nickname "The Green Fairy" was said to have come from the fact that it is often green in color and brings visions to those who consume it.

Wormwood's "poisonous" chemical component is called thujone. Roman form of this widely-venerated Goddess was Diana, a goddess who has been said to have been worshiped by Italian witches for centuries. In the classic book Aradia: Gospel of the Witches, written by Charles Leland, a group of Italian witches’ worship Diana as their main Goddess. So, in this way, one could see how wormwood would be sacred to "witches" throughout history.
  Wormwood has been used by witches in necromancy, burned to "wake the dead". It has also been used in medicinal ways as an anti-parasitic and to stimulate digestion. Some sources say it has been used to prevent malaria, as well. Some have been known to drink it as a tea, but this has been warned against.

Fly Agaric
Fly Agaric was used by people in centuries past to go on visual "journeys". Amanita muscaria, also called Fly Agaric. It is a mushroom with a bright red cap and white spots found in various places in Europe, North America and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere.

There is much folklore surrounding the history of Fly Agaric, and it is well known for being a favorite amongst the sidhe (fairy folk). Often when we see pictures of fairies in old story books, we will also see the ubiquitous red mushroom - amanita muscaria.
Probably because of the association with the fay, fly agaric is also associated with witches. Where there were fairies, there were also tales of witches in the old days. Perhaps this is also due to the fly agaric's entheogenic qualities? Fly Agaric is said to be poisonous, but many claims that is simply has a hallucinogenic effect and has gotten a bad reputation over the years.

Fly Agaric was a favorite of the shamans from the Norse culture in ancient times. It was so well loved that these people would consume the mushrooms, then save their urine (disgusting, I know) and drink it to acquire more of the chemical compounds filtered out from the body.