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By Jackie Johnson ND, Planhigion Herbal Learning
Center
From Shakespeare to J.K. Rowling, we seem to have an
undying curiosity of what plants witches used….and for
what. In the spirit of Halloween, it seems appropriate to
explore these.
Shakespeare gave us the most recognizable and infamous
of all incantations with the three Scottish witches in Macbeth:
"Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing,--
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."
Although there are variations on the plants symbolized
in the chant, following are some of the more accepted versions:
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Eye of newt – mustard seed
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Toe of frog – buttercup
leaves
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Wool of bat – holly or moss
·
Tongue of dog – hounds
tooth
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Adder’s fork – violet
·
Blind worm’s sting -
knotweed
·
Lizard’s leg – ivy
·
Howlet’s wing – garlic or
maybe ginger
We wonder, did the wise women (or witch) use odd names
for effect, for safety, or something else?
Perhaps it was something else, something politically
motivated. After al, women practiced the healing arts throughout
Europe, mostly as midwives, until the church and state targeted them.
And that happened because the church and state wanted the power and
money associated with healing arts.
When Rome fell, monks gathered the healing herbs
brought across Europe by the Romans. Then, they became the
healers. Power hungry and corrupt leaders always need a
scapegoat to blame for the troubles in their worlds, and what better
place to look than older defenseless women who owned valuable
property just waiting to be confiscated?
I’ve always wondered about the bravery -- or maybe the
stupidity -- of these foolish men. It raises a question: If these
women were as powerful and wicked as charged, how could the
prosecutors survive? Weren’t they afraid that a nose twitch could web
their fingers, curse their family….or far, far worse?
But these powerful women persisted, from the burning
times until now. The journey of the “witch” (or wise woman)
continues, though still under a cloud of suspicion.
Let’s look back to the Wise Old Woman who lived on the
far edges of the village, alone, with her cats. Her home
is rundown, the plants and trees are overgrown, the path is covered
in leaves and rusty gate squeaks as we push it open. It’s
autumn and the days are shorter and the air is brisk.
You’ll find monkshood (aconite) so lethal that it was
used to poison arrows and, in World War II, the Nazi’s put it on
their bullets. Witches believed it could make them
invisible if they tied the seeds to them wrapped in lizard’s
skin. It was reputed to protect one from vampires and werewolves.
In the garden the winter rose (black hellebore) sits
in the corner in bloom. Thought to be a cure for insanity, it would
also help one become invisible.
In the back is a lush bunch of witch’s bells
(foxglove). They seem to be growing in each corner of the
stone fence. Ahhh, for protection. I imagine if we looked
in the cottage, we’d see black stone floors – dyed with the leaves of
the foxglove- to keep negativity out.
What self-respecting witch would be without moonflower
(datura) with white flowers that bloom in the night and give off an
intoxicating fragrance? Used as a hallucinogen, and to
increase physic vision and communicate with friendly spirits, the
plant is poison to even handle. When a visitor would
come begging for something to stop another from harming her/him, the
Old Woman would often take the seeds, wrap them in brown cloth and
tell the visitor to gather something belonging to the alleged
ill-doer and place the bag of seeds on top of the item and hide it
well. So long as the bag remained over the object, the
ill-doer could do them no harm.
Overgrowing anything in its way, the deadly nightshade
knows it will always be the Devil’s favorite plant. Often
nightshade was put in ‘flying’ ointments, but was also handy for
helping one forget an old love. Some believe the more
nightshade in a garden, the greater the protection from evil.
Continued on October 31, 2017
Part II:
By Jackie Johnson ND, Planhigion Herbal Learning Center
All alone in a corner of the Old Woman’s garden are the mandrakes – waiting for some poor fool to pull them out. They scream when ripped from the ground you know, and any person or animal hearing the scream will immediately perish. Long used for dark magic, this plant was sacred to Aphrodite and used as a powerful aphrodisiac. Too strong, some say. Its roots are shaped like humans and carrying even a tiny piece insures good health and much more. It hides from man, and it glows in the dark.
The following steps for harvesting mandrake was taken from an old English Herbarium from 1000 AD
- Before sunset – draw a circle around it with an iron tool lest it flee from you.
- While facing west, cut off the top of the plant.
- Being careful not to touch the plant, dig around it with an iron tool.
- When you see its hands and feet, fasten them. Take the other end of the rope and tie it around a hungry black dog’s neck.
- Throw meat in front of the black dog so he cannot reach it unless he pulls up the plant.
- Run fast lest you hear the screams and perish with the dog.
Difficult, yes, but mandrake was one of the best plants for hexing, and black dogs were easy to find.
Aside from the poison garden, people would visit the Old Woman for a variety of reasons.
Many wanted love charms. In front of the house, for easy pickings, sits the love potion garden. The most important plant in the garden for love is the apple tree. Sometimes the spell was as easy as cutting an apple with the intention of forever love, and handing half to the object of affection. Both halves must be eaten simultaneously for the charm to work.
Caution was required when cutting the apple … an even number of seeds on both sides meant love and a happy marriage. If one seed is cut, rocky love will follow and the marriage will be filled with anger and yelling. If two seeds are cut, the husband will perish within one year.
Apple blossoms are so sweet smelling, is it any wonder they were often dried and used in love potions?
Protective amulets were cut of apple wood, and when properly done, insured a long life.
 Other plants in the love garden include lemon balm, roses, basil, catnip, daisies, peppermint mallow and periwinkle. Several of these in a sachet under your pillow might help the man of your dreams come into your life. If your love has left you, you might be instructed to put a vase of mallow flowers in your window. This should make him think of you and return to your arms.
The inability to become pregnant brought a number of women thru the Old Woman’s creaky gate. In the back, along the mossy stone fence, lies the fertility garden. It is filled with cucumbers, carrots, mustard, and poppy and more.
Some women would come to visit the Old Woman to insure there was no pregnancy or question what was to be done about a current one. That garden was outside her back gate and the plants were scattered through the forest, looking like they weren’t cared for to the uninformed. This allowed her to claim ignorance if “they” came for her. We won’t talk about what might be in that garden.
Infidelity was a common complaint and many women wandered in seeking help with rotten husbands. The Old Woman might hand them some dried basil with instructions to sprinkle it on his cheating heart as he slept. Or she might suggest slipping a caraway seed or two in his pocket.
And thievery – oh such a common complaint. For that the Old Woman might suggest caraway seed sprinkled around the property to help bad guys choose another place. And if you were about to travel, a piece of comfrey with your belongings would help them travel unnoticed.
Yes, the Old Woman’s garden was full of plants. Every corner of her yard offered up something to the trained healer/witch/midwife.
No wonder so many feared or coveted her knowledge.
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Continued from October 30, 2017 …