Pagan Portals - By Wolfsbane & Mandrake Root: The Shadow World Of Plants And Their Poisons

Awesome little book packed with information on the darker side of the botanical world. It is a short/quick read, but it is a wealth of knowledge. This is VERY old school witchcraft. Not the fluffy bunny, airy-fairy Wicca in the Scott Cunningham/Silver Ravenwolf vein. It seems to have a very Brittish vibe to it, probably because a lot of the plants listed are European and not American. These are NOT plants to be fooled about with lightly, so having this information contained in a small, but well written book is a great find. It is well researched. I have cross and recrossed references and they check out. This was written by an actual practitioner, not someone who threw together a mish-mash of incorrect information for the sole purpose of making a quick buck on a book. I have been a practitioner for well over forty years and there is plenty of information that was new even for me. This book belongs in every traditional witch's library. Wether you actually ever use the plants listed to not. Who knows, you never know when you might need to make a bitter pill or potion. Lol. I highly recommend this book. Good job!

A lot of information in a little book! Well-researched, packed with historical anecdotes presented in a clear and easy-to-read style. This is the kind of book that gets one excited about going deeper into the subject, even when you already have a good amount of knowledge of poisonous herbs. There are a couple of caveats, however, regarding the scientific names of the plants. When written, the scientific name is italicized, and includes both the genus name and the species epithet, with the genus name being capitalized. None of the plant names had Genus (with capital letter) -- I don't know if this is a modern way the Brits write scientific names, but as a plant biologist I found this annoying, if not incorrect. Also there were some incorrectly spelled plant names, for instance Monkshood should be Aconitum napellus, and Pennyroyal should be Mentha pulegium. But these are trivial, editorial issues. On the whole, this is a wonderfully entertaining, factual book that will delight any herbalist!

not a huge read, but had a decent amount of information

Although the description of the plants were listed it was a very basic book and I really didn't learn much as far as how I could use it in different ways.

Interesting and informative book on poisonous plants and their magical uses. While I learned a lot from this book, I wish there had been photographs of the plants included, as I found myself stopping often to google the plants in order to see what they look like. Most of the information is useful, but occasionally I found statements that were contradictory or confusing. When referencing folkloric beliefs, it would be clearer if they were marked as such instead of just included in a paragraph mixed in with scientific information. This practice was often confusing as to which claim about a plant was the actual fact, leading the reading to ask, is it poisonous or not? Otherwise, it’s a worthy read and a good introduction into the studies of poisonous plants.

I was hoping for information on poisons and historical medicinal uses and such, but this was just a lot of stories.

A time limited digital copy was provided free of charge for purposes of review.I do think that the author does have some solid magickal insight, and the book is very informative and well researched.The first part of this very short book was mostly history. The history included how and why witches were often linked to poison, but the majority of the history included use by ordinary people, including popes, nobility, and common people from classical times on. At times the accounts were a bit sketchy and could have been explained better. This first half, the history of poisons, and theThe first part of this very short book was mostly history. The history included how and why witches were often linked to poison, but the majority of the history included use by ordinary people, including popes, nobility, and common people from classical times on. At times the accounts were a bit sketchy and could have been explained better. This first half, the history of poisons, and the magickal and superstitious belief that concerned them, really could have been a book in itself. Mostly it read fine, but a few small sections didn't really make sense, and could have often used more explanation. The entire book suffered from lack of illustration and pictures.The second half read a bit like  Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs , which includes the more popular botanicals featured in the second half of this book. The second half is simply a listing of some poisonous plants, how their poisons work to some extent, and if the plant has any magickal propensities it is listed. A section on mushroom poisons is also included.Lastly, there's a discussion on cursing vs. 'bottling' or binding, with some brief spells and magickal explanation/theory.I did learn a bit from the book, or I'd have given it a 3. For instance, I had never heard of a proving tree to protect against poison. I couldn't find them online, but that's because they are more commonly called arbre d’épreuve or languiers. That's the sort of problem I encountered reading this - it just really often needed 'better fleshing out.' It just fell a bit short of its potential, and it could use some editing, especially in the first half. Pictures and illustrations would be a great inclusion. Also, there's not a thing on the magickal raising and care of these plants. When I'd seen mandrake in the title, I really expected more than a couple of paragraphs on these wonderful little plants. We grow them here, and it is a very spiritually fulfilling endeavor to grow them astrologically from seed. They are such incredibly particular little beings. The book could have done them a good bit more justice.But, for a short book, it is packed with information, and I'd certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in poisons. Even people with no interest in witchcraft at all might find the history in the first section informative.

Get it for your Kindle if you really want to read it.

Prompt delivery and perfect book

Excellent

Very insightful. I wish the book was longer, an enjoyable read.

Really disappointing. A book on plants with not a single picture, not even a sketch. A brief "history" of the plants and their myth but not convincing. I doubt if anything stated can be traced back to any reliable source. Cant understand were other positive reviews about this author are coming from. If a table is wobbly and one leg needs packing up by about 10mm, then an ideal purchase.

an interesting read