Have you ever wondered what plants, herbs and fungi you'd find in a witch's garden? With uses ranging from the medicinal to the murderous, grab your sickle and take a look at...
- Belladonna: Kill, Cure or Cosmetic
- Blackthorn: Spiteful Fairies and Sloe Gin
- Hemlock: Dizzy Death
- Datura: The Drug Favored by a Deity and Used to Make Zombies
- Ergot: The Sneaky Fungus Behind St. Anthony's Fire
- Henbane: The Witchiest Plant?
- Vervain: The Enchanter's Herb
- Fly Agaric: The Hallucinogenic Mushroom (That Might Have Inspired Flying Reindeer)
- Mandrake: The Root That Shrieks
- Wolfsbane: Poison for Wolves, Humans and Werewolves
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| Blackthorn was said to house malicious fairies... (manfredrichter) |
1) Belladonna: Kill, Cure or Cosmetic
Belladonna is actually Italian for beautiful woman - renaissance ladies used it to enlarge their pupils and modern-day opticians still use for eye examinations.That's pretty odd really, given that another name for belladonna is deadly nightshade!
Oddly enough (given its status as a lethal poison) extracts from the plant have been used to treat ailments including abdominal pain, motion sickness and nerve gas poisoning.
Medical uses aside, Atropa belladonna comes from the Solanaceae family and its scientific name references Atropos, the Greek "Fate" responsible for death. As a historical side note, the Roman emperors Augustus and Claudius were both poisoned using the plant.
Belladonna is sometimes known as the Devil's Cherries. Folklore claims that he considered the berries his personal property and one could draw his attention (usually not in a good way) by consuming them.
2) Blackthorn: Spiteful Fairies and Sloe Gin
The blackthorn is a fairly sinister-looking tree even before you take folklore into account. Tangled and covered in thorns, wounds inflicted by the plant tend to leave fragments beneath the skin to cause complications... or even cause septic arthritis. Perhaps this explains why malicious fairies were said to plague those foolish enough to cut blackthorn wood.
The traditional Irish club known as a shillelagh is often made from a blackthorn branch, while witches were said to use blackthorn wands - in fact, major Thomas Weir of Edinburgh was garroted and burned along with his blackthorn walking stick in 1670 after being accused of witchcraft. On a lighter note, the berries can be used to make a sticky-sweet sloe gin.
3) Hemlock: Dizzy Death
The scientific name of Hemlock (Conium maculatum) comes from the Greek "koneios" meaning spin or whirl. Which is rather apt considering dizziness is a symptom of hemlock poisoning.
Hemlock can be easily mistaken for a wild carrot, parsley or parsnip. Those who ingest the plant can expect vomiting, paralysis, changes in heart rate or blood pressure, seizures and central nervous system depression... but a carefully managed dose can also be used to numb pain.
The ancient Greeks used hemlock as a "civilized" means of execution. The philosopher Socrates chose to die in this way rather than accept exile from Athens.
4) Datura: The Drug Favored by a Deity and Used to Make Zombies
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| Belladonna, or Devil's Cherries... (NoName_13) |
Datura are a widespread group of plants from the Solanaceae. The pan-Hindu deity Shiva was said to smoke them - which makes sense since they have hallucinatory, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anthelmintic properties, meaning they can be used as anything from a pain-killer to a cure for worms. As if that wasn't enough, Datura stramonium fruits are supposedly used in the creation and feeding of Haitian zombies, hence the nickname zombie cucumber!
The drug scopolamine can be derived from the closely related angel's trumpets. Blowing the drug into the face of a victim supposedly induces a suggestible and zombie-like state, leaving them unable to resist robbery - and easy to manipulate or interrogate.
5) Ergot: The Sneaky Fungus Behind St. Anthony's Fire
Usually found growing on wheat or rye, ergot is a fungus with hallucinogenic properties. It can be used to induce labor, reduce bleeding or treat migraines, but can also be incredibly harmful to an unwary human.The fungus replaces kernels of grain with hard dark "ergots" that can easily get blend into a harvest. Consuming contaminated food can cause convulsions and constrict blood vessels, potentially leading to gangrene - the medieval disease St. Anthony's Fire is thought to have been caused by ergot poisoning.
As mentioned above, the blood vessel constriction caused by ergot poisoning can have some medical uses and drugs such as ergometrine are still used in modern times... though not without risk!
6) Henbane: The Witchiest Plant?
Henbane is a toxic plant blamed for the death of poultry - the name references the number of chickens found to have fallen foul of the black seeds.
The henbanes are members of the Solanaceae and have seen use as a medicine, hallucinogen and poison. Ancient Scandinavians, Celts and Greeks used it as a mystical herb, while Greek and Gallic warriors used the plant to poison arrows and javelins. It was used by Dr Crippen in 1910 to murder his wife before fleeing with his mistress.
The plant was once known as the "witches' herb" and may have been used in an ointment that gave the sensation of flying. It was also used to flavor beer - and had the dastardly effect of making the drinker thirstier!
7) Vervain: The Enchanter's Herb
Most of the entries on this list are pretty harmful, albeit with useful applications. Vervain has a much better reputation, supposedly acting as an anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory along with a host of other mild health benefits.
Verbena officinalis (or the enchanter's herb) was also said to carry weight in the realm of the supernatural. It was used by the Celts, Greeks and Romans to purify sacred alters and supposedly offered protection from creatures of evil and untimely death... but it could also act as a love potion!
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| Fly agaric causes hallucinations... but is toxic if not consumed "second-hand." (Stelchik7) |
8) Fly Agaric: The Hallucinogenic Mushroom (That Might Have Inspired Flying Reindeer)
Who would really argue that this distinctive mushroom wouldn't be welcome in a witch's garden?
These hallucinogenic red-capped and white-spotted fungi are not something a human should eat... but reindeer, squirrels and slugs are happy to snack on them. Some time in the past, the Sámi people discovered that the urine of agaric-fed reindeer carries the mind-bending effects while becoming safe for a human to drink. Perhaps it's best not to speculate how and why that was discovered!
Fly agaric hallucinations can induce a sensation of flying, causing some people to speculate that the flying reindeer of Christmas myth were inspired by one such mushroom vision.
9) Mandrake: The Root That Shrieks
Need a pre-made, plant-based voodoo doll? The mandrake will suit your needs just fine... if you can pick it without dying!
References to the mandrake can be found in Middle Eastern texts dating back to 14th century B.C. and in Greek, Egyptian and Roman folklore. The medieval European "Doctrine of Signatures" suggested that plants resembled parts of the body they could protect or cure - and the root of a mandrake can resemble a human body. In real terms, mandrake is another member of the Solanaceae and can serve as a narcotic, emetic, sedative, hallucinogen... or deadly poison.
Folklore claims that a mandrake would scream when pulled from the ground, maddening or killing anyone nearby. The "safe" method of harvesting one was to tie a dog to the base of the plant under moonlight, then let the animal pull it up. Doesn't seem fair to the dog really, does it?
Consuming even a few grams of Aconitum napellus (sometimes called monkshood or wolfsbane) tuber can be as fatal to a human is it is to a wolf. Folk on the Greek island of Chios were said to use it as a way of dying when past their prime, while inhabitants of Pontus were said to have used it to poison arrows. Though dangerous, Aconitum can be (and still is) used in folk remedies.
10) Wolfsbane: Poison for Wolves, Humans and Werewolves
We've had plants protecting against witchcraft and vampires, so how about a classic anti-werewolf plant to round things out?
In folklore wolfsbane offered protection against shape changers... but one could also become a werewolf by touching it in moonlight. Notes from the 16th century Italian physician Pietro Andrea Mattioli suggest there may actually be something to this belief - when condemned prisoners were fed monkshood to see if bezoars (strange balls of material found in animal guts) actually protected against poison, they experienced sensations as though they had grown fur or feathers!
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