Dangerous Plants for Fantasy Nerds

Welcome, Fantasy Nerds! Last time we covered the Best Plants for Fantasy Nerds, but while doing our research into witchy plants, we found quite a few dangerous ones. We decided to share their interesting history with you!

Deadly Nightshade/Belladonna

We’re starting this list off with Nightshade, because it’s a pretty well-known poison and it has some interesting history. It was used by witches to make a flying ointment, but it turns out the hallucinogenic effect of Nightshade just made them feel like they were flying. It was also said witches used this plant to help one forget an old love, maybe because it regulates heart rate and can put the user to sleep. However, the plant could be useful in anesthesia, and a form of it is still used in surgery to this day. But of course, too much would be deadly.

Wolfsbane/Aconite

This is one of the most poisonous plants on our list and has a history of supernatural uses. It was often used to coat swords or arrows in battle throughout history. Witches would wrap wolfsbane seeds in lizard’s skin and carry them to become invisible. It was also used for warding off werewolves and vampires and for shapeshifting into animals. This is one plant you would definitely want to avoid!

Devil’s Snare/Moon Flower/Datura

This plant is known as the Moon Flower because its white pinwheel-shaped flowers bloom at night. But beware, it is poison to the touch and used by those with nefarious intentions to put their victims into a suggestible, zombie-like state, which is where the nickname Devil’s Snare comes from. Witches were said to use it to communicate with friendly spirits, but maybe those spirits were just a hallucination caused by the drug. A bag of Datura seeds was also used to ward off evildoers. It is used as a pain reliever and fever reducer in medicine, so the plant is not all bad.

Wormwood/Artemisia

This plant was used for luring love, cleansing, and protection from accidents and evil spirits. It is also used for divination. As some plants in the family contain thujone, a hallucinogenic compound, it’s used to bring on visions and dreams. Fun fact Artemisia is one of the main ingredients used in Absinthe! Common uses for Artemisia include expelling intestinal parasites from the digestive tract, which is how Wormwood became it’s more common name.

Winter Rose/Black Hellebore

The Winter Rose gets its name because it blooms in the Winter. The flower itself is beautiful and harmless, but the leaves, stem, and roots are poisonous. This was thought to be a cure for insanity, and could help one become invisible. In Medieval times it was commonly used by villages to predict the weather, and was known as an Oracle Rose. Also in Medieval times it was thought that witches used this plant ground up into a powder to summon demons, but the powder was also used to expel demons!

Witches Bells/Fox Glove

Foxglove aka Witches Bells are extremely poisonous, ingesting any part of this plant can be fatal, as the toxins in the plant causes heart issues. Commonly used for protection and to keep negativity at bay, it was believed that planting one in each corner of your yard would ward off negativity and evil spirits. Indigenous people used foxglove in small doses to cleanse wounds and treat swelling caused by heart issues, and in Medieval times it was used to treat epilepsy and dropsy, this is because in small doses this plant can slow the pulse and increase the force of the heartbeat, but too much can end in death.

…

What do you think of these poisonous plants? Have you ever used them? Let us know in the comments below! If you enjoy our blog feel free to buy us a cup of coffee, we promise to share!

Thank you so much for reading!

-Clever&WTF