Pick Your Poison: The proverbial snake in the witch's garden:
Poisonous plants, as mysterious as they are dangerous, are filled with magical prowess. Visual shapeshifters, these toxic plants can range from unassuming, to practically wearing a "DON'T TOUCH" sign.
In this post, I'll focus on a few plants you may find in a witch's garden or apothecary shelf. Their most obvious and common uses are in hexing and cursing, but many of these fatal flora have other facets to them. That's what I'd like to explore with you....
Lily- Lily, and in fact all of its variants, are extremely toxic. This even includes the daylily and lily of the valley family. While they are powerful for hexing due to their poisonous punch, witch's workings need not be limited to that use for the flower. Lilies are powerful for communication workings, as well as bonding. They have lots of duality in the sense that while they can break lovers up, it is also powerful in love spells. Lilies also lend strength to prosperity and emotional wellbeing spells.
Mandrake- Much can be found in magical texts about the powers of mandrake, ranging from ancient to modern. When used in baneful work it can cause strife and chaos to a relationship or home, and it's poisonous nature makes it an overall good ingredient to add into a hex. However, there's a lot under that initial layer. Mandrake can be used in a plethora of other ways, most notably prosperity, protection and fertility spells. One of the ways it's traditionally used is wearing the root or keeping it on your person for protection. For blessing the whole house, it would often be hung above mantles and headboards to promote peace, fertility and restfulness.
Wormwood- While you may have to ingest a lot to kill you, wormwood can have some very nasty side effects that may make you wish it had put you down. In hexing it's powerful to cause confusion, hallucinations, sleeplessness and even paranoia on your target. Distilled, it's often made into what is known as the Drink of the Divine; Absinthe. While absinthe you'll find now at a store may not cause hallucinations and manic behavior, there was a time it went unregulated. Absinthe is a great way to highlight the duality of the herb. While some become crazed and even harm themselves (Think Vincent Van Gogh and the infamous ear severing), others found it a pathway to divine revelations and prophecy. Other uses include preventing and ending fights, and carried on the person to protect from accidents. This herb is also sacred to the Goddess Artemis, and is given frequently as an offering.
Poppy- The most common use of poppy flowers and seeds is definitely in baneful working. All parts of the plant are poisonous. It can cause anything from depression, confusion, obsession and lethargy, making it a poisonous jack of all curses. However, as with all the plants on this list, it has some surprising and underrated powers that aren't quite as bleak. Poppies can be a powerful additive to love and fertility workings. Poppy flowers also have a long history of being used in funeral rites to help the dead pass over peacefully and ensure they reach the afterlife.
Belladonna- There was no way I could round out this list without Belladonna; also known as Deadly Nightshade. It's history in witchcraft is long and well documented. These flowers may seem beautiful and inviting, from the petals, to stem, to berries, is deadly. Belladonna causes confusion, spiritual disruptions and chaos in the home. It's hallucinogenic properties are partially responsible for the myth that witches "fly", as it was used in what is known as Flying Ointments of the past. It need not be cast entirely in a dark light though. They are potent in spells for divination, astral projection and overall increase of psychic abilities. This herb has ties to glamours as well, even as far back as ancient Egypt, women were including it in their beauty routines and rituals. Thankfully we now have removed belladonna from our eyedrops, and just use them in our spell work and oils now!
