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Episode 32: Spooktober Magical Plants
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Welcome back Witches! It's officially Spooktober, which means we're bringing the spooky ALL month long!!! In this week's episode we're going to discuss baneful and poisonous plants. This episode is just for funsies and we are not encouraging anyone to track down and work with any unsafe herbals. Those that do work with these types of plants need to have an understanding of the foundations of the body and how plants effect us. So with that being said get in losers, and lets discuss these Spooky Plants!!
We would be forever thankful if you left our podcast a 5-Star review. If you really loved the show and want more Get in Loser content, check out our Supercast & Buy Me a Coffee links below. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @GetinWitches, on TikTok @weredoingwitchcraft or email us at weredoingwitchcraft@gmail.com. You can support our show through our
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Music by Darren Curtis- My Dark Passenger
- Michael, Coby. The Poison Path Herbal: Baneful Herbs, Medicinal Nightshades, & Ritual Entheogens. (2021). Park Street Press.
- The Healthy Hildegard. (2020) https://www.healthyhildegard.com/
- Beyer, Rebecca. Wild Witchcraft. (2022), Simon Element, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Inc.
- Grieve, M. (n.d.). Henbane. Botanical.Com. A Modern Herbal. https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/henban23.html
- Grieve, M. (n.d.). Aconite. Botanical. Com. A Modern Herbal. https://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/a/aconi007.html
- Grieve, M. (n.d.). Lady’s Mantle. Botanical. Com. A Modern Herbal. https://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/l/ladman05.html
- Black Henbane- The Witch's Favourite. Magical, Mystical and Medicinal. Europeana. https://www.europeana.eu/en/exhibitions/magical-mystical-and-medicinal/henbane
- Aconite- Uses Side Effects and More. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-609/aconite
- Zappin, Benjamin. (2021). Plant Poisons & Potions in Lore, Magic & Medicine. https://fiveflavorsherbs.com/blog/plant-poisons-potions-in-lore-magic-medicine/
- Lady’s Mantle Organic. Star Child. https://starchild.co.uk/products/ladys-mantle-organic?variant=12527066218567
- Willow Wisps (2020). A Witch’s Ingredients: Lady’s Mantle/Achemilla. https://themanicnami.tumblr.com/post/630279556843044864/a-witchs-ingredients-ladys-mantleachemilla
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Transcript
Introduction and Movie Discussion
00:00:00
Speaker
Do you feel drawn to learn more about witchcraft and the occult, but feel lost on where to start? Then welcome to Get In, Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft, a podcast all about what it means to be a witch and where to get started on your journey. Join us as we navigate through various witchy topics and share what we have learned about the craft. So get in, witches, and welcome to our first Spooktober episode, The Magical Properties of Plants, Spooky Edition.
00:00:39
Speaker
Oh, I wanted to say before we get into the episode, I really wanted to tell you about this movie we watched last night, but I forgot what it's called. I think it's called You Are Not My Mother. Have you heard of this movie? No.
00:00:57
Speaker
Oh my God. What is it on? It is on Netflix. Well, at least it's on Netflix UK. I wonder if it's on Netflix US too, but it's a new movie. It's an Irish independent movie. And it was so good. And I had to explain it to Mike after we watched it because he wasn't so familiar with the lore that they, I'm not going to give anything away. Like I'm not going to do any spoilers or anything.
00:01:25
Speaker
But I had to kind of explain to him a little bit of the lore because they reference some Irish lore and there's a lot of like witchy things in there. And it was really good. I really liked it. And it was like a subtle spookiness to it because like it's not going to be like an over the top, like a bunch of like jump scares or like slasher shit or anything like that. But it just was subtly scary and a little bit creepy, but it was really good.
00:01:54
Speaker
It's not coming up on American Netflix. Oh, no. Yeah. It's you are not my mother. So just for our listeners in America, if you don't have access to Netflix,
00:02:07
Speaker
UK, just get a VPN and change your location to England and watch this movie because it is so good. It's, I mean, okay, but here's the thing is like, it's only got 5.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I don't follow people's like ratings and reviews when it comes to movies and books and shit because
00:02:31
Speaker
I feel like people expect Anthony I were literally just talking about this before I came up here because he was talking about a show that he wanted to watch but it got really bad reviews but like we end up watching these things and really liking them and they'll have like three to you know maybe two three stars whatever but like
00:02:49
Speaker
they end up being really good. And it's just, people are shitty if it's not something that they thought it was going to be. They're like, oh, one star. Or like books. You'll see people be like, one star didn't read it. And you're like, why are you rating it then? Why? Because you're, you're dropping the rating. When I feel like maybe some people who like would give this a bad review or maybe like, because I really, really liked it. And Mike,
00:03:15
Speaker
He liked it, but he didn't quite understand some pieces because he wasn't familiar with the lore that they were discussing in the movie. But because like, I don't feel like we've even talked about this particular lore on the podcast. And just as it relates to which he shit, like they, they even have like on one of the doors, they have like Brigid's cross. And I was like, Oh my God. But, um, like it just,
00:03:39
Speaker
because I knew what they were referencing and I figured that out. Like I was just like, this has to be this. And it was, and I was like, Oh my God, this would be so good. But whenever I explained it to Mike, he was like, Oh, okay. That makes sense. I really like this. And so I think that probably the lower reviews are coming from people not understanding. Well, I was talking about, I just searched it to see if it was on anything in America.
00:04:02
Speaker
So if you are in the US, you can watch it on Hulu. It is actually on Hulu. But that is one of the top searches when you type in you are not my mother. It's like explained. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So apparently a lot of people didn't get it. But
00:04:18
Speaker
Yeah. Probably why it got low ratings, but it is on Hulu. So I will watch it this week. Yes. Watch it and let me know. I will. It was really good. I love spooky movies. I even love like B-rated spooky movies or movies that are supposed to be spooky, but they're so cheesy that they make me laugh. I absolutely love it. But what was I going to say? Oh, have you seen the images of the Winnie the Pooh horror?
00:04:46
Speaker
No. So recently, like a couple of months ago, Winnie the Pooh dropped out of copyright because copyright is only good for I think it's like 99 years or something like that. Winnie the Pooh dropped out of copyright, which opens it up to like, anyone can use it for anything now. And so they are making a Winnie the Pooh horror
Magical and Poisonous Plants Overview
00:05:08
Speaker
film. Did you just look it up? I just looked it up blood and honey. That is nightmare fuel.
00:05:16
Speaker
Piglet looks terrifying.
00:05:20
Speaker
I just don't understand why anyone would do this. I bet the guy who wrote it, whatever his name is, A.A. Milney. Yeah. I knew it was something with. It was something with like initials, but I was like, C.S. Lewis is the Lion, the Witch, and the Wolf. Yeah, he is. But I bet he's rolling in his grave. Right. That is terrifying. Yeah. So if you guys haven't seen it, look it up if you would like to have some nightmare fuel.
00:05:50
Speaker
Because that's what it is. I don't like it. Me either. Me either. So what are we talking about today? Plants. My favorite topic. Plants. But we're going a little spooky with it. We're going with superstition and poisonous plants. Not all the plants are poisonous, but
00:06:12
Speaker
Most of them are. Yeah. But with that, I just want to say that the purpose of this episode is not to encourage any of our listeners to work with, consume, or use any poisonous plants. As an aspiring herbalist myself, this is just kind of like a for funsies episode with some really cool information on poisonous and painful plants that have some questionable historical uses and have been linked to witchcraft since the beginning.
00:06:38
Speaker
While many do work with a number of plants that we're going to talk about today, I would consider these to be advanced level herbals. Working with these plants takes a base understanding of the human body and what the components of the plants do and how each piece of them works and how your body might react to them.
00:06:55
Speaker
So please do not run out and track these down for like medicinal practices. Be very cautious in considering using them in your practice without fully understanding their purposes and their ties. And remember, we always say from episode to episode, please do your research.
00:07:11
Speaker
If you want to work with these plants, please thoroughly research them and understand what you're getting into. They're not for novice work. So with that being said, let's talk about some pretty cool plant history. Yes. And just to add, don't even like buy them to put them on your shelf. So as you make, Oh my God, look what I have a belly donna, because your cat or your kid or your dog, somebody's going to get into those plants and they're going to eat them and they're going to die and it's going to be your fault. So just don't.
00:07:40
Speaker
don't, this is not for you. And maybe it is if you're like a, like a fucking herbalist. Yeah. Like this, I am studying to do that kind of stuff and I wouldn't touch these. I mean, ravine, I'm going to talk about ravine and ravine is actually a very safe plant, but outside of that, for the most part, I wouldn't touch any of these plants.
00:08:04
Speaker
Yeah, there's only one on my list that I would touch the rest of them. Fuck that. And even the one that I have on my list and I'm just like, oh, this isn't that bad. It still could kill you. Yes. So.
00:08:17
Speaker
One, like a lot of them, people don't understand like when it says that, you know, it can be used for certain things, like belladonna especially, which I'm going to cover like in depth, belladonna is very dependent upon each individual's chemical makeup. So, you know, you could take what is considered or deemed a safe amount of belladonna
00:08:45
Speaker
and then not have a good experience or die because that's just how this plant works. It's so unpredictable. It's not like, oh, I ate belladonna and I'm going to take this like counteractive plant or antidote or whatever you want to call it and I'll be fine. Sometimes that doesn't work with belladonna. Yeah. It's like the ecstasy of
00:09:10
Speaker
plants because it's like they say like with ecstasy, you won't know until you have it. Yeah. You're like allergic to it.
00:09:17
Speaker
Yeah. And so it could kill you the first time having it. And you like, you would never know because you took a safe dose of it. Yeah. But like a quote unquote safe. Yeah. Yeah. Quote unquote that had quotey fingers. I'm not saying please don't go out and use eggs. For our listeners, you guys just need to know that we often use hand signals and quotes, but you guys will never know. Yeah.
00:09:42
Speaker
Yeah, but that was a quote unquote. Don't use balladonna, don't use ecstasy. So let's get in the background. Just a little background, I'm not going to go in depth because our episode is already going to be pretty long, because I am a giant plant nerd and I spent a lot of time researching, writing and talking about plants with myself.
Vervain in Magic and History
00:10:07
Speaker
So witches and plants or herbs, flowers, roots just simply go together. Plants are used in various ways and they've been tied to witchcraft since the beginning. Every plant has a magical component to it and they've been used in kitchen witchery and spells offerings and more just in witchcraft and then in general some plants can even be used medicinally or
00:10:31
Speaker
you know, in teas or whatever. So plants just kind of have this sordid history with humans, but also have strong ties to witches and witchcraft. And then one thing I did want to say before, there is, I have talked about this before in the podcast. So in the episode on social media, like witchcraft in the social media,
00:10:52
Speaker
I did talk a little bit about this because there were some content creators out there posting this. So there's, you know, a history and a lore of witches flying on broomsticks. And this comes from a medieval theory. So what they used was a flying ointment. And some of the plants that we're going to be talking about today were ingredients to this and content creators were posting
00:11:15
Speaker
the ingredients or the recipe for flying ointment and telling people to try it. Please do not do that because most of the ingredients, pretty much all of the ingredients except for I think vervein was sometimes included in them as a counteractive ingredient, but they're poisonous and they cause like hallucinogenic symptoms.
00:11:36
Speaker
They cause hallucinogenic symptoms. So the idea that witches can fly came from medieval times with this. And basically this ointment was used and inserted vaginally with a stick. So enter broomsticks and it would cause the person to hallucinate or have very visual dreams. And because of this, it was used for divination in like
00:11:59
Speaker
way, way back times. So an example of this ointment would include a mix of poppy, mandrake root, henbane, belladonna berries, and opium juice. And this would have created a really powerful soporific. And this would cause that deep dream-filled sleep or the hallucinations.
00:12:18
Speaker
So many of the plants that we discussed in this episode are used as ingredients in various flying ointment recipes. But again, like please don't use them because most of them are poisonous. Most of them can make you at the very least very sick or worse like dead. So we just wanted to get that out of the way at the beginning.
00:12:36
Speaker
So the first plant that I'm talking about is vervain. And vervain is the only safe plant that I will be discussing. This is verbena officianalis, and it's sometimes known as the herb of enchantment. Some other names for vervain are the sorcerer's herb, herba sacra, herba vineris, the holy herb, the chief herb, the enchanter's plant, sampler's joy, juno's tears, pigeonweed, and herb of the cross.
00:13:05
Speaker
Breveyn is an herb of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, and a daughter of the sea. Venus rules the arts of lovemaking, glamour, and personal beauty. Venus represents the anima, which is the feminine principle within humanity and the individual, and she's tied to Mercury, who is her male counterpart and the animus.
00:13:26
Speaker
Together they are a fully realized individual represented by the deity Hermaphrodite, and they represent the sacred union. In herbalism, plants of Venus contain leaves that are large, bright, rich green, or rosé, soft and plentiful. Their flowers are pleasing to the eye, white, blue, rosy, charming, fine, and abundant.
00:13:48
Speaker
Their roots are early growth, but not deeply fixed. So we're talking about real shallow roots. You don't want the ones that spread out under your house and all that. And their odor is a subtle, delightful, pungent, and refreshing to the brain.
00:14:04
Speaker
Medically, Venusian herbs are soothing, nourishing tonics for both the body and the spirit, and they are used for beautification. They nourish and balance all organ systems, promoting harmony holistically and they are neutral and contain both cooling and warming properties.
00:14:21
Speaker
Venutian herbs are often used in products for self care. Vervain is not considered poisonous, like I said earlier, and it's actually deemed safe by the FDA, but I just wanted to include it in this episode because it has some great magical ties and some historical uses.
00:14:37
Speaker
Vervain contains iridoids, which are precursors to the alkaloids that we'll see in things like Poppy and Belladonna. It's a catalyst whose effects can enhance spellwork, ritual mindset, and perception through aromatherapeutic effects and can enhance mental clarity and memory.
00:14:56
Speaker
On the Isle of Man, islanders would sew vervain into their clothing as a sign of protection, which I thought was really cute. That is
Henbane's Toxicity and Uses
00:15:03
Speaker
cute. All I think about whenever you say vervain is the vampire diaries. Do they use vervain? Yeah. I swear to god they do. Yeah, that's what they use. And that's the counter, isn't it? Yeah. They use it to, I think it's like helps them to walk in the sun too, right? Or like they have their ring and it helps them. I can't remember. Probably because it is like a protection herb.
00:15:24
Speaker
I think, you know, it's been a while since I've watched it, but it does sound familiar. That's the first time I ever heard of it. I thought it was made up until like a few years later. And I was like, Oh, this is actually a real thing. Some historical facts for Vervain. Ironically, Vervain was historically used as a charm to protect against witchcraft. And Michael Drayton
00:15:46
Speaker
who wrote Nymphidia in 1627 said therewith her vervain and her dill that Hendreth witches and their will, which I thought was really hilarious but also a cute little rhyme. In England garlands of vervain were worn on St. John's Eve in June
00:16:04
Speaker
It was believed that on this night an herb's healing powers would be especially strong, and this is pretty accurate considering most wildflowers will be in their prime around mid-summer, so it wasn't too far-fetched, even though some of the historical uses that we're going to talk about throughout this episode are wild and hilarious.
00:16:23
Speaker
It was historically thought of as a cure-all that was used during the Middle Ages to help treat the plague. Ancient Druids believed that vervain held supernatural powers. Scandinavian worshippers of Thor used vervain in their rituals. Greeks and Romans considered vervain to be a holy plant, and they used the branches to purify their temples and bless their altars.
00:16:44
Speaker
In Christian lore, ravain was also used to treat Jesus's wounds on the cross, and the Aztecs and other Native American tribes used ravain roots and ravain flowers as a diuretic and as a natural treatment for headaches, circulatory issues, and insomnia.
00:17:00
Speaker
So for magical uses, Vervain is considered a classical magic planet and it has a long time relationship with love magic, which we don't necessarily condone on this podcast, but historically it has been used that way.
00:17:14
Speaker
It was used in amorous spells and charms for love, and it was made into a wash that practitioners cleansed their hands with before performing love spells for added power. Breveyn is a versatile and powerful ally in plant magic, and it has been said to be used by druids in their lustral or holy waters for blessing and libations.
00:17:36
Speaker
It can be used as a general elemental offering and its affinity with the forces of nature can help keep other plants healthy. It was used historically to help heal the land and empower spirits of nature in the areas that were neglected. It has been used historically in amulets of protection and prosperity and it is known as the herb of evasion and was used in practice to help one escape their enemies or in aiding to avoid being detected.
00:18:04
Speaker
It has qualities of shapeshifting and invisibility in its aura. Revene is considered a fairy herb, and it has been used in rites to summon and honor the fae and other nature spirits. Celts referred to Revene as the Tressus of Taliesin, who we discussed in our Celtic deity episode, but Taliesin was a famous mythic bard who received magical powers from the goddess Keraglin, who we always said wrong before.
00:18:31
Speaker
And I almost said wrong there. Vervain is a multi-purpose herb that can be used in most forms of practical magic. It can bring protection when calling on spirits. It can be used in manifestation spells and placed on your altar for these purposes. It can be made into infusions and used to wash divinatory tools. And it has been believed to help enhance divination and clearing the mind, centering the spirit, and enhancing psychic abilities.
00:18:59
Speaker
Medicinally, Rervain is an anti-spheasmodic, which means it's a relaxant, an antipyretic, which is fever-reducing, a diuretic, which is a water reducer, a stringent, which means it's constrictive, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory.
00:19:16
Speaker
I'm only going to be listing the properties for vervain in the plants that I'm talking about because it is a non-poisonous plant and it's like FDA safe. So I'm not going to give those properties for any of the poisonous plants because if you do choose to work with them, you need to do that kind of research on your own.
00:19:33
Speaker
Because vervain is an anti-spasmodic, it's a great plant to use to relieve cramps or it's thought to alleviate headaches and migraines. It has ties to strengthening memory. It was used in the 17th century to treat jaundice. Dropsy, which I had to look up because I've heard dropsy, but I didn't know what it was, but I guess now we just call that edema.
00:19:55
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I like, I've heard the term dropsy. I just didn't know what it was. So I looked it up and I was like, Oh, okay. It's edema. And then it was used like as a poultice on external ulcers. Historically, this was used to aid in childbirth. And today it's used holistically to aid in depression and nervous disorders. Due to its astringency, vervain is also great to make an oral rinse for. If you have bleeding gums, mouth ulcers, or if you have a sore throat, you can also gargle with vervain.
00:20:25
Speaker
And other uses for vervain include digestive issues, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, gout, jaundice, insomnia, anxiety, depression, improved lactation, and general pain relief, especially when it comes to joint pain. And to keep vampires at bay? No, I'm just kidding. I don't know exactly why they used it. You know, I think it is vervain that they use because Christians used it to keep witches away.
00:20:51
Speaker
Yeah, so probably. I think it was just like a general supernatural deterrent because it's a protective. Exactly. But yeah, I think you're right. I think it was like, it kept vampires away or some shit. I can't remember. Anyway, if you watch the vampire diaries, correct us. Cause I am too lazy to look that up and I don't really care that much, but that's where I heard it from. Although I used to love that show. Same. Yeah.
00:21:16
Speaker
All right. So the first plant that I'm going to be talking about is hinbane. Yeah. The Latin term for hinbane is hyocymus niger. I had to Google it and listen to YouTube video because I was like, I don't know how to say that second word and it's felt kind of funny. So I have to learn these from the herbal academy. So every time I, that I just, because every time we learn about plants, we also include the Latin just to learn them.
00:21:46
Speaker
I ended up just without even thinking about it, including the Latin in my notes. I put the Latin on all mine too. Okay. I thought about it afterwards and I was like, well, it's already there. Yeah. Well, because I figured too, because we have listeners all over the world. Shout out to Anna because we just got the coolest email from her, but they may not have Henbain as Henbain in other countries that they might even just refer to as the Latin term.
00:22:15
Speaker
So yeah, well, and like it's, so it's especially important with plants that have different versions of what they are. Like Belladonna is one of those, it's a nightshade. And so it's important to know the Latin name of what you're working with because that's going to be more keyed into the specifics of the properties and workings of the plants versus just calling it Belladonna because you can say Belladonna
00:22:39
Speaker
and that can encompass several versions of belladonna that might have different reactants to them. Awesome, yeah. So, hempane is also synonymous with common hempane, hogsbean, jupiter's bean, symphonica, casolata, not sure about that one. Just to name a few, there was a lot listed and
00:22:59
Speaker
I wasn't gonna write them all down because it was like a whole paragraph. And I'm really sorry because my dog is full of piss and vinegar today and she keeps losing her shit for no reason.
Mandrake's Mythical Significance
00:23:09
Speaker
So if you guys just heard her tantrum, I apologize. She's lucky she's precious. Yeah. She's so cute. You can't be mad at her.
00:23:20
Speaker
All I can. I don't necessarily stay mad at her, but I do get mad. So the parts used for in Maine are the fresh leaves, flowering tops, branches, and seeds. And this is found throughout Central and Southern Europe, Scotland, England, and Wales, and in Western Asia, going as far north as Siberia, and also found west in India. And it's been seen also in parts of North America and Brazil as well.
00:23:48
Speaker
there's accounts from before 1672 that indicate that it was seen in New England by like the settlers and stuff. So interesting. In the UK, Hindbane is often found in sandy places by roadsides around old buildings or by rubbish heaps and it's usually found near chalky ground and near the sea.
00:24:11
Speaker
And I thought it was interesting. They included about like for the old buildings and rubbish heaps, because they were saying basically like people will find this in their garden. They'll dig it up and they'll put it like in near like where they would get the rubbish picked up, but the seeds and stuff will scatter and so you have to be careful around like dump sites and everything.
00:24:33
Speaker
So historically it's been seen throughout time. Frequently mentioned in old texts and in medical works and it was seen in the first century AD as a pain reliever and as a way to bring about sleep. It was also seen in the London Pharmacopeia as a treatment for cases of epilepsy and convulsive diseases and disorders. And a lot of people claim that this is what was referenced in Hamlet and
00:25:00
Speaker
There was a whole argument online about this that could be referring to it, and it was a really long, drawn out explanation, but it's probably not what Shakespeare was referring to in Hamlet, but it could be. Who knows? Who knows? Who knows? Isn't that how our history is? Maybe, might not, but it could be. Maybe, could be, yeah.
00:25:21
Speaker
So, I mean, if you're interested in reading about that, that will be listed in our notes, like in our resources, but I just, I literally put in my notes, TL, DL, TL, D I put TL, DL, but TL, DR because.
00:25:35
Speaker
It was too long to a whole explanation form. It is poisonous in all of its parts. There's like, doesn't matter like neither drying or boiling it, nothing you can do to it will destroy the toxicity of this plant. So just leave it alone. Don't touch, no touchy touchy.
00:25:58
Speaker
Leaves are the most powerful part of this plant. And even the odor of the leaves can produce giddiness and stupor, which that doesn't sound that bad, but trust me, like don't try to use this to get high. Like you're going to bump yourself up. You won't see very often accidental cases of henbane poisoning because the plant has a very unpleasant smell and taste to be mistaken for anything else.
00:26:24
Speaker
However, there are a lot of cases throughout history where people have accidentally poisoned their families or themselves. And there's one case I was reading about of a woman who gathered a bunch of henbane roots that she mistakenly believed were parsnips, boiled them and made them into a soup and she fed it to her family. Oh no.
00:26:43
Speaker
And they all suffered severely with visions, getting this leapiness and convulsions. And then there was also a historical case of inmates at a monastery who they produced, like they poisoned everybody in the monastery because they used the roots that they thought were chicory and it wasn't.
00:27:06
Speaker
I know a few people out here that go mushroom foraging and I'm like, absolutely not. I won't do that because you never know. Some of them have such slight differences to them.
00:27:23
Speaker
where it's like they look almost exactly like what's safe, but they're actually poisonous. And you hear about people accidentally poisoning themselves or their families because they went foraging thinking they knew what they were getting. Like people that have been doing it for years that like knew what they were doing still like making these mistakes. I just, I can't bring myself to do it. Plants, that's different. I'm pretty good with plants. Mushrooms, I am not comfortable
00:27:50
Speaker
I will never forage for mushrooms. You just hear horror stories and you hear like horror stories of like, I was reading this one new article. I think I might've even mentioned this on the podcast where it was like this family in France, like they lived in an area of France where all they did was forage. Like they knew what they were doing and they still, they all fucking died because they ate a poisonous mushroom. The whole family. Slippery of a slope that is. I'm like how easy it is to just like,
00:28:19
Speaker
Unalive yourself. Yeah. And then also, sorry if you guys heard just now, but I was taking a drink of my drink and my straw and the drink made a weird noise. So sorry about that.
00:28:37
Speaker
But I was there to see, so what can I do? Necklaces historically were made from the roots and worn by little children as charms
Poppy: Medicine and Myth
00:28:46
Speaker
to prevent fits and bring about easy teething. Please don't do this because you won't kill your kids. What do I know? And then mythologically, they're mythologically, is that even a word?
00:29:01
Speaker
In mythology, the dead were crowned with henbane as they wandered around this river Styx. So I thought that was kind of interesting. I'll let mythologically pass because I was like, yes. Yeah.
00:29:16
Speaker
We just invented a word, if that's not a word already. So for magical uses, this historically has been known as the witch's plant. It was important during the middle ages and used by magicians and healers and purifications, and in making spells and flying ointments, as we've already, or as Tiffany's already kind of discussed, and it was rubbed on genitals and or armpits.
00:29:40
Speaker
to produce the feeling of flying. So yeah. For those that don't know, it's genitals and armpits and then
00:29:50
Speaker
like your nose, the membranes in your nose absorb these things faster. So that's probably why they were used that way. I mean, they might not have known that it was faster, but it's going to hit you faster and sometimes it'll be more intense. Yeah, I bet you they did know that because they probably rubbed it all over their bodies and they were like,
00:30:13
Speaker
Like, we're going to try it on our legs this time. Oh, okay. Yeah. Didn't go as quickly. And then they're like, let me shove this up my regime. That worked. So, woo. Yeah. This is amazing. But it's not. Please don't do it. Are you flying? Because I think I'm flying. It's like, well, I put it on my thigh. It's not quite hit me yet. Maybe like 20 minutes later, like off the rock or two.
00:30:38
Speaker
Okay, so legends as it relates to magical uses. It was known for its power of throwing its victims into convulsions. And it was used by witches and their midnight brews.
00:30:54
Speaker
And the leaves were used to prepare a famous sorcerers ointment, which I meant to look up the name of the ointment they were referring to, because like on the website I was reading, it didn't list what it was. It just said a famous sorcerers ointment. And then I forgot. It was just like buying ointment. Probably. It probably is related right back to that.
00:31:14
Speaker
But decently, this is usually seen in tinctures or dried and often the seeds and leaves are what is harvested. And a lot of information about harvesting, obviously I'm not going to go into any of that because we don't want to be here all day. One and two is poison. And I don't want to teach you how to do that.
00:31:33
Speaker
So it was used as an anti-spasmodic, hypnotic, and as a mild diuretic. And as a narcotic medicine, it is compared to Belladonna, but it is a lot milder as a narcotic as Belladonna is, is what I was reading.
00:31:50
Speaker
And it's also been seen to be effective in the treatment of cystitis, which is UTIs for our American listeners and can be used to dilate the eyes for procedures and has been found to have a tranquilizing effect upon a person. And also medically it's been used for people with intestinal problems and to relieve symptoms associated with Parkinson's disorders, nerve pain and in motion sickness. But again,
00:32:19
Speaker
Please don't go out and try and grow this or harvest this because it's not good. You could accidentally poison yourself and then be having convulsions and then chop off your tongue with your teeth and you just don't want to deal with it. So please don't. It's an herb of Saturn, which is what Belladonna is as well. I'm just not 100% sure if it is a high alkaloid.
00:32:48
Speaker
which is the alkaloids and belladonna are what make it so poisonous and scary.
00:32:57
Speaker
Yeah, so that's probably why they're listed as kind of being similar. Okay, so I'm gonna talk about a plant that most people probably have at least heard of because it is used in like pop culture quite a bit, especially in Harry Potter. And you better say it just like Hermione says it when she says the Latin term. No, I am not attempting that. But mandrakes.
00:33:25
Speaker
which are Mandragora aficionarum, and this is often referred to as the apple of Venus. So Mandrake, while it is also an aerial plant above the ground, what we're talking about today is the root itself, and the root looks like a little human man. So
00:33:47
Speaker
This plant is also known as the devil's candle, the devil's lamp, and both of these are due to the belief, like an old belief that the plant used to glow at night, but the glow was actually from glow worms that were eating the leaves of the plant. The plant itself didn't glow.
00:34:04
Speaker
but that's where it got those names
Aconite and Belladonna: Myth and Magic
00:34:06
Speaker
from. That's really cute. I know. Jen's eggs, testes of demons, which I thought was hilarious, Earth's apple and little man of the gallows, which is also hilarious.
00:34:22
Speaker
So mandrake is an herb of Venus, it contains tropane alkaloids, and it is in the nightshade family, meaning that once you take precautions, like just, you know, unless you've done a lot of research, don't touch this plant, don't work with this plant, don't use this plant in anything, just don't. We're going to say that pretty much for every plant that we talk about today.
00:34:47
Speaker
The name Mandrake is likely derived from Middle English due to its roots, human-like appearance. The Mandrake is believed to have deep connections to the underworld, and it is said that it draws its powers when it's underground. The Mandrake has long been associated with witches, the devil, and the legion of Malefic spirits, and they were believed to have grown out of the final void of fluids from those who hung at the gallows, which is where that last little nickname came from.
00:35:14
Speaker
Historically, Mandrix originated in Mesopotamia, and they've been present in many cultures across history. It was cultivated in 1562 by herbalist William Turner in Europe.
00:35:29
Speaker
and the ancient Greeks referred to the Mandrake root as the Mandragon, and it was associated with Hecate and the sorceress Cersei. There's also Greek superstitions that surround the Mandrakes' poisonous nature that tie it to Cersei as well. The earliest documented notations of the Mandrake appear in the Bible in the Book of Genesis and within the Song of Solomon, and the Greeks referred to Aphrodite as Mandragritis, meaning she of the Mandrake.
00:35:58
Speaker
which I have never heard that, but I found it pretty interesting. I don't know if you have. And now I've never heard of that. There's also Russian folklore that refer to the mandrake as the plant that screams. And it's believed to have been used as a deterrent in reference to its powerful nature or the difficulty of exhuming such a large root. But it was used as a way to like scare little kids from digging up this plant and then ending it like poisoned. They would tell them that if they dug it up, it would scream at them and like they would get in trouble.
00:36:28
Speaker
which I thought was pretty funny. It is funny how we, like, terrify children to make them not do things. Right, yeah.
00:36:36
Speaker
Theophrastus, who wrote the treaties on plants around 230 BCE, also claimed that there were arcane rights to harvesting the mandrake, and these included some of the following. I didn't include all of them, I just kind of included some of the funnier ones. So to harvest a mandrake, he said that first you had to trace three circles around the plant with a sword.
00:37:01
Speaker
and then you had to take this sword and cut off the aerial parts of the plant, but you had to be facing west when you did this.
00:37:09
Speaker
And you had to perform a ritual and dance around the site before harvesting the root. And it was deemed necessary to anoint one's hands and face with oil prior to harvesting. And this has later been believed to have been like a protection barrier from the plant's poisonous juices. It was also believed that standing up wind would protect the harvester from noxious spirits caused by the plant's contagion.
00:37:36
Speaker
And it was believed that the contagion was airborne. So as an herb of Venus, or it was believed it could only be harvested on a Friday, and that it had to be dug up before sunrise when it was most active in producing its magical principles. But this was also believed to be the time that the evil spirits that guarded the mandrake would be sleeping.
00:37:56
Speaker
So you would be safe to harvest it at that time. Once harvested, the mandrake then must be placed in a running stream for one full day and one full night to remove its diabolical influences. And then it has to be kept wrapped in a white cloth and in a wooden box.
00:38:12
Speaker
And there's other, like, there's ones where it's like, if you keep it, you have to keep it in this wooden box, which like, was supposed to signify a coffin. And like, as a way of killing the evil spirits, you kept it wrapped in white cloth, and then you had to anoint it with wine. And the ritual, like, supposed, quote unquote, rituals to being able to dig up a mandrake and harvest it are hilarious.
00:38:37
Speaker
There's like some of them that say you have to like tell it dirty jokes for it to like like that's how you build a relationship with the Mandrake to keep it from poisoning you. Like there were so many it was so funny. I really like that one. Right? So magical practices for the Mandrake. Mandragoras considered a patron plant of witches and to be a powerful ally in witchcraft
00:39:01
Speaker
In every culture that the mandrake has left a mark, it's been given arcane associations and considered to be an herb of bewitchment. While all plants are believed to be possessed by a spirit, the mandrake spirit is said to be willing to act as a familiar spirit to those who know its rituals. And again, that comes from the, what was his name? Theofredis and all of his rituals of harvesting mandrake.
00:39:25
Speaker
Mandrake was often used as an ingredient in love charms and potions, and the root itself has been used throughout history as a fetish or a mini-kin due to its humanoid form. Being kept with reverence, wrapped in fabric, and fed with offerings of either wine, milk, honey, and sometimes even blood, it is believed to be able to teach one the secrets of the spirit world and most specifically in that of techniques to work with other plants.
00:39:52
Speaker
So it's believed that it has this spirit that it also wants to be a familiar, but in being a familiar, it wants to teach you how to work with other plants, which I thought that was kind of cute. Mandrakes are used to carry out spells over long distances, but due to their poisonous nature, they are connected to death and the spirit world.
00:40:12
Speaker
Some witches grew and kept Mandrake plants in the past, and they would pass them down through generations within their families. And they kept them in the family for the blessings of prosperity and power that they could bring. Medicinally, Mandrake was used in Jewish communities as a cure for childlessness. So both medicinally and magically, its uses can be historically traced back to fertility. Earliest accounts of medicinal uses are credited to ancient Greeks.
00:40:42
Speaker
And there's a book called the Mystic Mandrake that says a small dose in wine less than would occasion delirium will relieve the deepest depression and anxiety. It was often considered an aphrodisiac since it is a plant of Venus and mandrake is a powerful anodyne.
00:41:00
Speaker
meaning that it does have some pain relieving properties as well as soporific. So that just means that it has like some sleep inducing qualities as well. For this reason, it was often added to wine and paired with opium to be taken as anesthetizing anebriant.
00:41:16
Speaker
In the ancient world, mandrake was considered a saprophic sponge and used as an early form of anesthetic as well. These were used medicinally up until the 1800s, though their active components are still used in pharmaceutical medications today. And the effects of mandrake are hypnotic and intoxicating, but in larger doses it will become hallucinogenic and
00:41:39
Speaker
like sometimes even death inducing. When the root is burned as an incense, it will also create a mild psychoactive effect.
00:41:47
Speaker
I also remember this plant too from Pan's Labyrinth. This was the plant that I guess Pan or whatever had given her to put under her bed, under her mom's bed with milk. And I think she like fed it blood too. And I'm like, oh my goodness. This plant actually has, it's in a lot of like mythology and fairy tales. Like this plant has a history in stuff like that.
00:42:13
Speaker
And it's always something like that too, where it's like, oh, you have to feed it or, you know, like they treat it like it is a living human. And it's funny because it does look like a little angry man. And I mean, like Harry Potter, they just like scream all the time.
00:42:30
Speaker
Okay, so next up I have Poppy. So most people know what a Poppy is. The Latin name for it is papaver somniferum. And this is sometimes referred to as the gateway of life and death. Poppies have a very tangled history with humans. And they can be and are still used medicinally to ease pain and bring peaceful sleep. But they're also the root of an epidemic
00:42:54
Speaker
centered around opioids that we are seeing today, like all over the world, unfortunately. But they are a cute little flower. I love puppies. Poppies are the California state flower. And in California, it's actually illegal to pick or collect or harvest poppies
Lady's Mantle and Episode Conclusion
00:43:10
Speaker
in the wild. The flower is actually super easy to grow yourself. And many people already include poppies in their flower beds for decor.
00:43:17
Speaker
Poppies are an herb of Venus, and in terms of crops, poppies are grown in succession with wheat and barley. They're a plant of the moon, the underworld, and considered to be of the place between life, death, and sleep. The milky latex that comes out of a poppy plant is referred to as the tears of the moon, and it has also been said that poppies grew from the spilled tears of Aphrodite when she mourned the death of Adonis.
00:43:42
Speaker
Poppies are also associated with the mother and the crone aspect of the goddess. Sebeli and Ceres are associated with poppies, and they're often depicted holding or wearing them. Nyx had poppies around her temples and many of her depictions. And Morpheus, who is the god of dreams, and if you aren't watching The Sandman on Netflix already, please do because they picked a perfect Morpheus in this. Have you watched it yet?
00:44:06
Speaker
I watched the first episode and Mike's not into it. So I'm going to watch it without you. And I just haven't had the chance to, but I like it already so much. So yeah, it's like visually beautiful. They did so good with it, but Morpheus. So if you're not watching it, Morpheus is the God of dreams. And this is where morphine actually gets his name.
00:44:27
Speaker
Hypnos, Hermes, and Thanatos are also often depicted holding a poppy flower or a poppy pod because of the plant's connection to sleep and death. Poppy's opium contains the alkaloids morphine, codeine, and narcanine.
00:44:43
Speaker
all of which are used currently in modern medicine as some of our strongest pain-killing drugs, but they also come with a very high addiction rate when used over extended periods of time. These medications were created by Big Pharma for profit without regard for public safety, and while they definitely can do good and help, these extracted and synthetic versions of the poppy flower of opium often do more damage than they do good.
00:45:08
Speaker
Poppy's chemical addictiveness can act quickly by creating a euphoria and by numbing our emotions, making just your everyday normal functioning feel completely unbearable. And that's why we see this as such a horrible epidemic right now.
00:45:25
Speaker
Historically, poppies have been part of our pharmacopoeia since ancient times. Ways to attain opium were discovered in Central Europe in the Stone Age. Neolithic tombs contained remnants in France, Switzerland, Northern Italy, and Southern Germany.
00:45:40
Speaker
Roman accounts claimed that Celtic Gauls were also aware of poppy cultivation, harvest, and use. An early Germanic lore stated that poppy fields were sacred sites to Odin, and they were visited by pilgrims for healing. Paracelsus created laudanum from opium, henbane, crushed pearls, and coral, and this was used as a remedy throughout Europe until the late 1600s.
00:46:04
Speaker
And this is my favorite thing that I found about Poppy's right here. So there's a man named Thomas. I don't know if it's Sidenheim or Sidenheim. I tried looking up the pronunciation and people were saying it different ways. So either of those, Sidenheim or Sidenheim, also created a tincture of opium from Poppy's, saffron, cinnamon, powdered cloves, and Spanish wine. And it was an effective remedy for pain in a powerful inebriant known as Sidenheim's laudanum.
00:46:32
Speaker
So like the original lean or scissor. I was reading about this and I was laughing and Anthony is in his office and he's like, what are you laughing at? And I told him and he was like, you are ridiculous. And I was like, it was like the original lean. Literally, like you're reading this, you're like, this sounds familiar. So yeah, even back in the old days, they used to, you know, sip on the scissor.
00:47:00
Speaker
as you do, but don't do it. But don't do it.
00:47:04
Speaker
Poppies were the first plants to come back in the battlefields in northern France and Belgium after World War I. And they became the symbol of remembrance for fallen soldiers, which I thought this was really cool to learn now because I remember when living in Germany, there was a, like, I can't even remember what time of year it was, but I remember like everyone wearing their little poppy pens and stuff. And I didn't know, like, I knew that it had to do with World War I, but I didn't know the significance of it. But essentially, like,
00:47:34
Speaker
all this land is destroyed due to war. And then the first plant to grow out of it is a poppy flower. So I thought that was precious. It is precious. I know, so here in the UK, if it's around the same time, because they are just crazy about the poppies here too. Like, yeah, if it's not, I don't know if they have like a national flower, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's not a poppy.
00:47:55
Speaker
but they they grow wild and they're really like the poppy fields here. They usually around like May, June is whenever they're like full bloom and you can see them growing like on the side of the road everywhere.
00:48:11
Speaker
Yeah, but Poppy is a resilient little plant. It's like a dandelion where it'll grow out of like concrete literally. You'll just drive and it's like on the side of the road growing up and then like randomly we'll have like a few in our, just in our yard from I guess being scattered by the winds or like a bird pooping it out or something. Yeah, they're everywhere. In California we have like poppy fields and stuff and poppy festivals because it's the state flower but
00:48:38
Speaker
And I remember going to them as kids. I've always loved poppies though. They're so cute. They are really cute. I want to get a poppy tattoo before I leave. I got my giant poppy tattoo. Okay. Or ancient Greek mythology placed the origins of the poppy.
00:48:55
Speaker
with the goddess Demeter stating that she grew them when Hades abducted Persephone. Some lore states that Persephone was in a field picking poppies at the time of her abduction before she became the queen of the underworld. So magical uses for the poppy. It's a plant of the night and of the moon.
00:49:13
Speaker
And it rules over dreams, illusions, and shadows. Poppy was taken internally to protect against nocturnal creatures like vampires or to ward off nightmares. Poppy's seeds have been used historically in practice to blind one's enemies. And that's a quote unquote, too. And then it was said that if you gathered poppies in your enemy's name, it was like a way to curse them.
00:49:37
Speaker
Working with poppies is also believed to be a way to send dreams and visions and to draw down the influence of the moon, including sending the moon's full madness upon an enemy. Poppy petals can be used in charms for luck, in love, money, and even in health. And it's often listed as an ingredient in the medieval flying ointment. And it was likely that poppy was added to help counteract some of the more uncomfortable side effects of other ingredients.
00:50:05
Speaker
So like it was once believed to be an antidote to the poisoning effects of plants within the deadly nitrate family, but it wasn't that it was an antidote. It's that it was like euphoria inducing and pain relieving and sleep inducing. So it wasn't like actually countering it. It was just making you more comfortable.
00:50:25
Speaker
And then during Roman times, Papi was used in offerings to appease the spirits of the dead. Medicinal use is outside of what we already know about opium. The parts used are the dried leaves, and traditionally they're made into infusions or decoctions, and they were also smoked sometimes historically.
00:50:46
Speaker
As most know and as I've already discussed, opium comes from poppies and it's a valuable pain reliever and sedative. Poppy tinctures have been used medically throughout time to help with frayed nerves from stress that cause insomnia.
00:51:01
Speaker
And the tincture helps to calm these nerves and to help induce sleep in the person. And decoctions of poppies have been made to help soothe pain externally. Juice of the poppy was included in the formula for an early form of anesthetic used in surgical operations. And this formula also included plants like henbane and mandrake. Interesting. Historical uses to me are always wild. It's like, let's just throw this at it.
00:51:31
Speaker
No, I saw this growing in my backyard. I'm going to try it. We're just going to see. Maybe. Who knows? I saw a meme the other day and it was like, have we tried popping all plants or did we stop at corn? Right. Because
00:51:48
Speaker
Maybe we should try to pop the rest that are poisonous. And see how delicious they are. Yeah. So the next one I'm going to be talking about is aconite. Am I saying that right? Aconite? Is that how you would say it? Okay. The Latin term for this is aconitum napellus. It's also known as monkshood wolfsbane or a plethora of other names. Like there was a whole ass paragraph again. And I was like, we're just going to take the other ones.
00:52:14
Speaker
This plant grows in rocky areas in the northern hemisphere, but it's also seen in the Swiss Alps, Salzburg, and in Germany. The parts of this plant that are used are the leaves stem, the flowering tops, and the roots. The leaves in the top are usually used fresh. The root is usually used dried.
00:52:34
Speaker
And the roots are usually harvested in autumn and because of how poisonous the root is, it is considered best that the root is grown and collected under the same conditions to maintain uniformity and like its poisonousness because like it's really poisonous. Yeah.
00:52:51
Speaker
So also like we said a thousand times already, don't grow this. Symptoms of poisoning consists of like first you'll feel like tingling and numbness of the tongue and the mouth and the sensation of ants crawling all over your body followed by like nausea and vomiting along with epigastric pain, labored breathing, weak or regular pulse. You'll feel cold and clammy.
00:53:16
Speaker
you might be giddy or like staggering around. And just to give you an idea of how strong this is, 1 50th of a grain will kill a sparrow in a few seconds. And 1 10th of a grain will kill a rabbit in five minutes. Like this shit is really powerful and can kill you. So don't fuck with this. Historically, it's been said to have been discovered by Hecate herself. She invented it from the foam of Cerberus
00:53:44
Speaker
And it was a poison that the old men of the island of Saos were condemned to drink when they became infirm and of no use to this day. Like, um, your time has come. Yeah. Go ahead and drink this shit. Bye. You need to die. A horrible tragic death.
00:54:04
Speaker
Go poison yourself. It's also said to be the poison that Medea prepared for Theseus. Historically, it has been used in the East Indies in war and to poison spears, darts, and arrows to keep tigers at bay.
00:54:20
Speaker
And in mythology, it was used to ward off werewolves, hence the name wolfsbane. So magical uses, it's used in combination with belladonna and flying ointment. It's a representative of death, rebirth, and transformation through sorcery and shapeshifting. And it's connected to the spirits of the battlefield gods and goddesses because it's said to protect its allies and arousing bloodlust and inciting fear.
00:54:48
Speaker
and your enemies, so. I mean, I don't know exactly. I guess the fear would come from the fact that like, if you were coming at me with a poisoned spear. I'd be terrified. Like, I'm sorry. I don't feel like having like a terrible death right here. Well, and especially back then they'd be like, this poppy plant is the antidote. And you're like, I still died, but I felt comfortable. Right.
00:55:19
Speaker
Medicinally, the root contains chemicals that improve circulation and can decrease pain, but also contains chemicals that can seriously harm the heart, muscles, and nerves. And it can be used in treatment of heart failure, asthma, hair loss, and diarrhea. But again, it's going to kill you. Yeah. That's why I'm saying plant history is hilarious to me because they're like,
00:55:45
Speaker
Hey, we used this to there was one thing where it might be belladonna. I can't remember which plant but one of the plants I was researching they were like, oh, smoke this smoke these leaves to treat your asthma. I'm like, okay.
00:56:01
Speaker
A and B is not half. Yeah. Counterintuitive. Counterintuitive. What even is that? Not even a word. I was like, yeah. Am I dumb? I don't know that word. You're just making up shit. That's just luck. It's fine.
00:56:19
Speaker
Two idiots making a bypass. We did not lie to you guys. No, we didn't. But yeah, plant history is hilarious. If you are ever bored, just look up historical uses for plants or like magical uses because even if these plants weren't actually used by witches, like poisonous plants especially are always tied to witches and the devil and demons and it's ridiculous. You can, you can find some pretty entertaining stuff on plants.
00:56:47
Speaker
And so they have a whole section on WebMD about this plant. And it says, all species of the plant and products containing it are dangerous. It is a strong and fast poison that can cause nausea, vomiting, breathing problems, heart problems, and death. But all of that, what I was saying when I was reading it, I was kind of cracking up because it just reminds me of like prescription commercials anyway. Symptoms may include heart
00:57:13
Speaker
heart failure, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, but also take this medicine. Yeah, but also take it. I'm so glad that my period stopped, but I'm also going to die. Is that what you're saying?
00:57:31
Speaker
But it's been used historically in tinctures and ointments and sometimes as a hypodermic injection. Could you imagine getting a hypodermic injection of the ship? No. No, thank you. And it's also been seen a lot in Chinese and other Eastern Asian herbal traditions. And it's said to be the most pertinent herb for reviving the yang. And, you know, I don't know very much about
00:57:55
Speaker
Eastern Asian practices or Chinese practices. So I'm not going to be like, and yeah, I totally use this. Please don't please see a professional, but they usually mix it with other complimentary herbs and it's given as a tonic. So I'm assuming it's like, it's usually very miniscule, like one, 1000th of a part. Yeah. So don't think that you can just take this
00:58:20
Speaker
to revive your yang. Again, I said at the beginning, this is a for funsies and just for like fun, crazy, wild information on plants that are tied to witches and supernatural and wild medical history. This is not an episode to be like, hey, you should go work with these plants. Unless it's vervain, you're free to work with vervain because that's safe.
00:58:47
Speaker
And you can grow poppies in your flower beds because they're really cute little guys. But don't go extracting poppies, opium, and then trying to use it because you'll probably die a certain death. And then okay, so I'm now going to talk about Belladonna, which of course is like one of the most infamous plants. I feel like outside of Mandrake, Belladonna is probably one of the most known like
00:59:09
Speaker
poisonous plants, especially even like pop culture wise, because it is used in a lot of pop culture references as well. So the Latin name for belladonna is a tropa belladonna. And this refers to a tropos who is one of the three fates and the one that cuts the thread connecting one to the web of life. And it refers to the plant's ability to separate us from our own body and life force.
00:59:34
Speaker
I mean, let's just from the start, this plant is a nope plant. So Hildegard von Bingen wrote Physica, which is like an entire book on plants used medicinally. She wrote this in 1998, but she said, the deadly nightshade has coldness in it. And this coldness also holds evil and barrenness.
01:00:00
Speaker
and in the earth and in the place where it grows. A diabolic influence has some share and participation in its craft, and it is dangerous for a man to eat or drink, for it destroys his spirit as if he were dead." Again, yeah. Most of the time, at the very least, like this quote says, this plant will destroy your spirit as if you were dead if it doesn't actually make you dead.
01:00:28
Speaker
again. No. So you're gonna suffer but you're not gonna be happy about it too. Yeah, I feel like in Family Guy when he like rolls up the newspaper and he smacks them and he's like no to Brian the dog. No, that's what I'm doing to you right now if you're even thinking about Belladonna.
01:00:47
Speaker
Like, if you don't have some serious schooling behind you and you haven't researched and you don't know how the body works and how these plants can affect the body, don't even think about it. So, some other names for Velodonta are Deadly Nightshade, The Beautiful Psygductress, The Devil's Berry, Banewort, The Devil's Herb, The Great Moral, Tulkersha,
01:01:12
Speaker
Valkyrbaron, which means Valkyrie Berry, and Valkyrbom, which is Valkyrie Tree. It's related to Mandrake, Henvane, and Thornapple, and together these plants are known as the Great Witching Herbs. These plants can be seen throughout apothecary history as being known for their sedative and pain-relieving properties.
01:01:33
Speaker
and their powers of vision and spiritual flight. It's an herb of Saturn. Saturn points out those parts of ourselves that we're afraid to confront and forces us to embrace our shadow. Saturn is a teacher of agriculture and the sower of seeds and rules over boundaries that which separate the civilized world from the wildwood and the scorching desert, ruling over wayside plants that grow in the wastelands and those botanical poisons that restrict the life force.
01:02:00
Speaker
In herbalism, Saturn rules over plants with dark leaves that are hairy, hard, dry, parched, coarse, and of ill-favored appearance. Their flowers include unprepossessing, gloomy, dull, greenish, faded or dirty white or pale red, prickly and disagreeable flowers.
01:02:23
Speaker
Roots spread widely in the earth, they have very earthy roots, and the odor is often feeded, putrid, and muddy or earthy. Medicinally, Saturn is associated with the skeleton and muscular system and plants that heal and strengthen the connective tissue and support structures of the body. And that's just in general, that's not in terms of belladonna.
01:02:47
Speaker
Chemically, belladonna has a high alkaloid content with her main compounds being atropine, solanin, and scopolamine. These are known as tropine alkaloids that act on the human nervous system.
01:03:03
Speaker
Belladonna is considered to be sacred to Hecate, and its namesake is Belona, the Roman goddess of war. Both are reflected in the plant's unpredictability. Historically, Belladonna was used in the 11th century by the Scots under King Duncan I, who gave the invading Danish army Belladonna-infused beer
01:03:25
Speaker
that put them into a weakened delirium, allowing them to be easily overpowered. Which, smart, but also, wow. Talk about, like, a chemical warfare. He's like, hey, drink this beer that I've poisoned.
01:03:41
Speaker
It was also believed to be used in the Parthian Wars to poison the troops of Marcus Antonius due to Plutarch, giving a full detailed account on the poison's effects. That is one of those that's like, it's possible that it was because it was just that like, basically,
01:04:03
Speaker
he was like, hey, Belladonna does all these things. And then there was like some things that happened that they were like, I think that's what happened. But there's no like recorded history that it was factual, if that makes sense.
01:04:16
Speaker
This is an infamous herb that was used in the Middle Ages by physicians and magicians and has been mentioned in many obscure and well-known manuscripts on medicine and in medieval books covering magic. It was used medicinally in preparations well into the 1800s before its use faded out from the general population where its value was only remembered by herbalists and cutting folk.
01:04:40
Speaker
It has been stated in historical attacks against witches as an herb used to shape shift into an animal in reference to Solanum's Somniferum, which is sleeping nightshade. In Southern Germany, there was a tradition where hunters would ingest three to four belladonna berries to help sharpen their senses. And this makes me laugh because I don't think it sharpened their senses for hunting. I think they were hallucinating other things and being like, we saw so many animals out there.
01:05:09
Speaker
But they were like hallucinations, not actual animals, because no. They're not just like, let me eat this singular berry. They were like, let me eat like four of these. No, they were probably hallucinating. In Morocco, they used to dry the berries and make a tea with sugar. And they believe this helped ease depression when done in small doses. They also believe this helped clear the mind for intellectual focus. And this is possibly what was like unknown at the time as ADHD.
01:05:38
Speaker
So they used it basically as an ADHD management medication, which is also hilarious. It was also considered to be a male aphrodisiac, which I seen it listed in a few different places, but not why.
01:05:54
Speaker
I wonder if like the hallucinations sometimes could be like sexy and it's like, oh yeah. Maybe, I don't know. Belladonna is magical ties. It was considered a, or it is considered a gatekeeper plant. Belladonna opens the energy centers and expands awareness to spiritual realm. Working with Belladonna removes toxic people and situations while providing offensive protection.
01:06:21
Speaker
It's used in works of necromancy, specifically calling the dead to the middle world for assistance. Belladonna's affinity with witchcraft makes it the perfect plant for offerings. It's considered the witch's power plant, and it can be added to any formula or charm for added power.
01:06:39
Speaker
and it can be used to bring success in all endeavors. Belladonna is one of the ingredients of medieval flying ointment, though it would have come with some serious uncomfortable side effects that we've talked about with the other plants as well. It's known for destroying enemies through a subversive means, binding their actions and exposing their secrets.
01:06:59
Speaker
The juice of the berries was used to anoint objects of magical protection, divination, and necromantic fetishes. You can also create a tincture with the berries for the same purposes since the tincture itself will keep for years.
01:07:15
Speaker
Home protection wreaths were crafted out of belladonna vines. They were typically made in the summer and then allowed to dry and hang all year long. And this was also believed to protect the home against lightning strikes, which is very specific. Medicinal uses for belladonna. So the parts used were leaves, which were dried into a powder or rolled into cigarettes, the fluid extracts or tinctures, and then with the roots, they were powdered or fluid extracts and berries were juiced whole.
01:07:44
Speaker
herbivores are more resistant to the alkaloids in belladonna than carnivores are, which I thought was interesting, but I'm assuming that it's because you eat more plants, so you get more of the phytochemicals and alkaloids and whatever that the plant contains, so it helps you build up a tolerance to it essentially. Belladonna was used to treat many ailments historically,
01:08:08
Speaker
Ayurvedic tradition suggests that a daily dose of atropa belladonna can be taken medicinally when it's properly prepared by professional herbalists. Belladonna leaves were smoked and used in cigarettes to help with asthma in the early 1900s. So a treatment known as asmador was a preparation of belladonna, detura, and potassium perchlorate sold as cigarettes and in powder form to be burned as an incense and used to help treat asthma, which
01:08:38
Speaker
seems so backwards to me. It really does. Our whole medical history is just wild. But it's also important to note that side effects of both were hallucinations and a drying up of the body's fluids resulting in an extremely dry mouth and the inability to urinate lasting for long periods of time. Longer than the time that the belladonna stays in your system. This was a chronic symptom.
01:09:08
Speaker
That's like, could you imagine you're like, let me treat my asthma. And now I haven't peed for four days. Yeah, that would be terrible. And it reminds me too, because the guy know, like during that time, and like the Victorian turn of the century time, they also would send if you had asthma or any sort of lung issue, they would send you to like,
01:09:28
Speaker
these mountain climate areas like fresh air and shit. Get the fresh mountain air. But you're at a higher altitude and it's also drying you out because you're at a higher altitude and then you're smoking some shit. That's also drying you out even more. It's wild. It's wild.
01:09:48
Speaker
Historically, belladonna was also used as plasters, poultices, and ointments for pain. The berries have been used in tinctures and alcohol infusions to induce a trance and act as an aphrodisiac that inhibits the senses. Classical Italian lore discusses women using the tincture to dilate their pupils for beautification purposes. It would basically give them
01:10:11
Speaker
a bedroom eye look, which meant it was more likely that they would have an amorous affair or get a husband even. Because they're looking around like fucking high off their ass. Well, apparently that was like the, you know, we always are given, women are always given like ridiculous beauty standards. So like during this time in Italy, it was believed that large pupils were the gold standard.
01:10:36
Speaker
when you're looking for a woman. So women were basically poisoning themselves with belladonna eye drops just so that men found them attractive. Gross. Wow. Just wow. The berries were said to have been added to wine in small amounts for their trance-inducing effects leading to prophetic visions. So like on one hand, belladonna can be successfully used as an analgesic and an anesthetic. On the other, it could like easily kill you. So
01:11:06
Speaker
super unpredictable plant. It's been used to treat opiate overdose and muscarinic mushroom poisoning. And side effects of ingesting belladonna could include dilation of the people's, blurred vision, intense dreams, delusions in the waking state. The effects of belladonna vary widely and they depend on things like dosage, individual biochemistry, and the method of ingestion. And when used too frequently, tropane alkaloids contained in belladonna
01:11:34
Speaker
can build up in the tissue of the heart resulting in a number of health problems. These alkaloids are what make oral ingestion of belladonna unsafe. An ingestion of belladonna overall is just not recommended period. Like don't do it. It's a nope plant. It is leave it alone. And don't touch. No touchy. So less nope plant to kind of end it is lady's mantle.
01:12:01
Speaker
or alchemola vulgaris, and it's also known as lion's foot, bear's foot, nine hooks, stellaria, and leontopodium. The parts used are the herb and the root, and it's usually found in the American Andes, and only a few from the order of alchemola are found in Europe, North America, and Northern and Western Asia.
01:12:25
Speaker
Common ladies mantel is what's found all over the UK and it's usually seen in colder areas and at higher altitudes like in the Scottish Highlands. It is part of the rose family and it's admired for its foliage because the leaves resemble stars and the flowers are like small little clusters of yellow or green flowers that grow in bunches. Precious. That is precious. Historically this plant was revered by alchemists who went out early in the morning to collect the dew from the leaves of the plant
01:12:55
Speaker
Ladies mantle sweats pearls of water which can be collected from the center of its leaves and it said that this dew was essential in the creation of the philosopher's stone. Isn't that cute? I love that. Yes.
01:13:10
Speaker
And historically, women would sometimes collect the dew in search of eternal beauty. And so there was this belief that if you put the dew on your skin, you would impart a special radiance of elfin allure. So get your glow on. I need to grow some lady's mantle. I know, right? And it's been tied to many different goddesses from different pantheons like Isis, Taurret, Brigid, Damara, Freya, Frigg, Demeter, Hera, and Liberia.
01:13:40
Speaker
It's also tied to the male gods Dionysus and Pan. So magical uses is connected to the planet of Venus and the element of water. The dew drops are important magically as they are used to cleanse the third eye to make it more acute and to bring about visions. And historically, it's like I mentioned, it's been tied to Freya because this herb is used in fertility magic and protection.
01:14:03
Speaker
It's said to improve libido and passion between a couple before they have sex, if they involve a ritual of applying ladies' mantle flowers to the chest and stomach of their lover and or drinking a tea made of the herb before they do it. Interesting.
01:14:19
Speaker
It is very interesting and that's why it's tied to Dionysus and Pan. Yeah. Carrying the flowers is said to improve attractiveness to others while carrying the dried leaves is said to help you attract love into your life. Bathing with the dried herb added to your bath is supposed to improve your self-love and beauty, which I love that.
01:14:39
Speaker
And it's also said that fairies appreciate the dew from this little plant as well and will collect it and drink it as a magical elixir. So I guess this is probably where like rubbing it on your face will impart some like elven magic on your body.
01:14:55
Speaker
This sounds like a much needed plant. Yes. Um, additionally, it can be used as a booster or a strengthener in spells, much like what we would use for like clear quartz. So if you can, or it can magnify magic. And if you plan it in your garden, it's said to help keep you and your home protected and warded from painful magic. So just even having it around your home is good. Birding lady's mantle is.
01:15:23
Speaker
thought to cure a broken heart or if you're mourning the loss of a relationship and adding it to an anointing oil and anointing oneself or a candle is said to improve the ritual or spell, strengthen the energy flow and improve psychic awareness. So
01:15:43
Speaker
Pretty cute. Medicinal uses, the whole herb is usually used, especially when harvested in June or July when the flower and leaves are at its prime, and they are used fresh or dried. The root is also used mostly when it's fresh. So Ladies' Mantle has astringent and stipic properties due to the tannin that it contains.
01:16:07
Speaker
It is a drying and binding herb and was considered a gray herb for treating wounds. Accounts of it being used for both inward and outward wounds is widely documented. And whether you're drinking a decoction or soaking cotton in a mixture of lady's mantle and then applying it to the wound directly, it's been seen in all those cases. And it can be used to treat acne, rashes, and to gain green.
01:16:33
Speaker
Um, which seems kind of like an escalation there. Um, and if you choose your acne, maybe if you have a little rash or if you're gangrene. Right. Yeah. Works on that too. Gangrenous wound. Just slap some on there. All I can think of when I hear gangrene though is, um,
01:16:54
Speaker
Austin Powers. What is that character? It's Will Ferrell and he like gets pushed down the cliff and he breaks his leg and he's like the wound is starting to smell gangrenous. That's right. I carry and he's wearing like the little like hat. Yeah the little.
01:17:12
Speaker
He has a funny name in it too, is it? He does. Or something. It is. It is. That is his name. It's something bad always happens when he just doesn't die. He's like, it's beginning to smell like almonds. Yeah. Gangrene always makes me think of that scene.
01:17:29
Speaker
Yeah, that is really funny. I forgot about that. I thought that word comes up often enough, but like on the few occasions that that word has come up, I'm like, oh, I think the wind is beginning to turn green. If there was fricking lady's mantle growing around, he could just slap it on there. It's also been used to treat canker sores in your mouth.
01:17:50
Speaker
We love a good canker sore treatment. It can be used to cure excessive menstruation and with an infusion of one ounce of the dried herb mixed with a pint of boiling water and then you drink it as a tea. Look, all menstruation is excessive. Go away. That is true. True words have never been spoken. A strong decoction of the fresh root is recommended to stop all bleeding.
01:18:20
Speaker
just apply for that. And it's also believed to regulate the female cycle as it's believed to strengthen the uterus. And supposedly it tightens the female genitalia insert like a virgin by Madonna.
01:18:42
Speaker
And women in historical times used to apply this to their breasts to make them more firm. Huh. Interesting. Yeah. And I was reading that midwives would apply this in the downstairs area after childbirth to help a mother recover faster and to be able to carry more children sooner, which I didn't like that part of the sentence. They're like, let's heal you and get another baby in there. Right. Yeah. I liked the first part. And then I read the last part since the sentence and I was like,
01:19:11
Speaker
No, not that part. We started off so strong. In Sweden, a tincture of the leaves has been used in treating convulsive disorders and have placed under a pillow at night. The herb is said to promote sleep.
01:19:28
Speaker
So interesting little tidbits. I really like ladies mantle, but as with all the herbs we've discussed today, we said this so many times, there is a warning with using it when using too much over time, especially in large doses, it's rumored to cause liver damage. And honestly, there's a lack of research on this. So.
01:19:50
Speaker
I mean, just be on the safe side and do your own research. I mean, this could definitely, it might not be as bad as this, but yeah, that's the rumor is that it could cause liver damage. Um, and if you're pregnant and or nursing, it is highly suggested to not use this herb at all because there is, like I said, a lack of research on any unintentional side effects with using ladies mantle. So. Yeah.
01:20:15
Speaker
We see this in herbalism a lot too, even with just some everyday common herbs. There's a lot that are actually suggested not to be used during pregnancy because of their medicinal properties, like potentially causing harm to the baby.
01:20:31
Speaker
or because there is a lack of evidence or a lack of research done on like that particular plant and pregnancy that it's just really unknown. Again, that's just something that we see in herbalism overall, like a lot of research will contradict itself or
01:20:49
Speaker
you know, like one person might say, oh, this is the dosage, that's correct. Well, another person will be like, no, you can't use it at all. So that's why, especially when it comes to plants, I like harp on making sure that you do thorough research, that you're cross-referencing because while it might seem safe from like one point of view, there might be, you know, 20 other accounts of saying like, no, this is actually like very harmful and this is why.
01:21:17
Speaker
So just always make sure that you're not sticking with just one source or, you know, just reading one and going, okay, it's good. Like make sure you're cross-referencing because especially when it comes to like ingesting or working plants, it could be very dangerous.
01:21:33
Speaker
And with it, we also gave you a nope sandwich in case you didn't notice. We started off with safe, gave you a bunch of nope plants, and then ended off with what could be mostly safe too. Yeah. And now it wasn't intentional. No. It just happened. I noticed it when I was like, you were going through one of the other plants, and I was scrolling to see how many we had left. And I was like, oh, we started with safe and ended with safe.
01:21:57
Speaker
Perfect. With a bunch of nope in between. A bunch of nope, and it was intentional. I did that on purpose. Yeah, totally, totally did. Totally on purpose. But yes, you can use Ladies' Mantle sometimes, but please do your research.
01:22:19
Speaker
That's it for this episode of Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft. You can find our source material for this episode linked in the show notes. If you love this episode, we would be forever thankful if you leave us a five-star review on wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you really love the show and want more Get In Loser content, check out our Supercast link provided in the show notes or search the Supercast website for Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft.
01:22:42
Speaker
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01:23:27
Speaker
you