Witchcraft Medicine: Healing Arts Shamanic Practices and Forbidden Plants

Description

An in-depth investigation of traditional European folk medicine and the healing arts of witches * Explores the outlawed "alternative" medicine of witches suppressed by the state and the Church and how these plants can be used today * Reveals that female shamanic medicine can be found in cultures all over the world * Illustrated with color and black-and-white art reproductions dating back to the 16th century Witch medicine is wild medicine. It does more than make one healthy, it creates lust and knowledge, ecstasy and mythological insight. In Witchcraft Medicine the authors take the reader on a journey that examines the women who mix the potions and become the healers; the legacy of Hecate; the demonization of nature's healing powers and sensuousness; the sorceress as shaman; and the plants associated with witches and devils. They explore important seasonal festivals and the plants associated with them, such as wolf's claw and calendula as herbs of the solstice and alder as an herb of the time of the dead--Samhain or Halloween. They also look at the history of forbidden medicine from the Inquisition to current drug laws, with an eye toward how the sacred plants of our forebears can be used once again.

Claudia Muller-Ebeling, Ph.D., an art historian and anthropologist, is the coauthor of Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas and was editor in chief of Dao, a magazine about the health and longevity practices of the Far East. She lives in Hamburg, Germany. Christian Ratsch, Ph.D. (1957 - 2022), was a world-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist who specialized in the shamanic uses of plants. He is the author of The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants and Marijuana Medicine, and coauthor of Plants of the Gods and Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas. He lived in Hamburg, Germany, and lectured around the world. Wolf-Dieter Storl is a cultural anthropologist and ethnobotanist who has taught at Kent State University, as well as in Vienna, Berne, and Benares. He lives in Allgau, Germany, and is the author of Culture and Horticulture: A Philosophy of Gardening.

"This is a fascinating work of great importance that is incredibly well researched and documented. And brave. From the first impassioned paragraph to the last words, I was spellbound. Anyone interested in medicine, herbalism, the healing arts, and spiritual phenomena will find this book thought provoking and empowering." * Rosemary Gladstar, president of United Plant Savers and author of Herbal Healing for Women * "A well-researched and interesting read." * Vision Magazine, February 2004 * "Tracing human relations with plants back to the Stone Age, the book is deeply thorough and rests on interesting scholarship." * Publishers Weekly, October 2003 * "It is essential reading for anyone interested in the folklore and magical beliefs asociated with flowers, herbs and trees." * The Cauldron, February 2004 * "Witchcraft Medicine blends history with practical applications of plant healing and shamanic practices." * The Midwest Book Review, June 2004 * "Witchcraft Medicine is a work of brilliant and passionate scholarship, fabulously illustrated, that recovers the lost knowledge of the European shamanic tradition. It is both a guide and an enthusiastic ode to the visionary edge of the botanical realm." * Daniel Pinchbeck, author of Breaking Open the Head: A Psychedelic Journey into the Heart of Contempo * "Witchcraft Medicine is a solid book and an essential research tool for anyone interested in European folk traditions, magic, alchemy, or herbalism." * Mark Stavish, Institute for Hermetic Studies, April 2006 *