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Healing Arts, Shamanic Practices, and Forbidden Plants
authors: Claudia Muller-Ebeling, PhD; Christian Ratsch, PhD; Wolf-Dieter Storl, PhD
I have had a life long interest in spirituality and the healing professions. Having worked in the field of Western Medicine for over twenty-five years, I have formed the firm belief that holistic, or alternative, medicine is much more appropriate than Western Medicine, as it treats the whole person. I was absolutely thrilled when I received Witchcraft Medicine. Here the plant world, shamanism and the healing arts in general are treated as part of a whole. Also, here we see the feminist/Goddess/Witch roots of the healing world. I don't think that I could ask for more!
However -I did get much more than just a well written book. Witchcraft Medicine is a book with high visual appeal - from the layout of the pages to the incredible amount of both color and black and white photos interspersed throughout. They fall basically into two categories: photos of the plants being discussed (and what a marvelous addition this is - to be able to see what the plant actually looks like!), and reproductions of illustrations dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. What a joy to be able to share in the artwork and symbolism of the times that came before us!
From the book:
"Witchcraft medicine is based on the understanding of the healing powers of our inner and outer natures. Witchcraft medicine is more than a factual knowledge of medicinal herbs, poisonous plants, psychedelic compounds or gynecological preparations. It is the ability to converse with the animal and plant spirits and to forge friendships with them, an ability that has been suppressed in most people. It is the ability to achieve the ecstasy that makes communion with these beings possible." 1
The first connections that the authors make with the plant world is to introduce us to the powers of trees and specific shamanic plants - how they were used in olden times, and why they are associated with witches. We follow the seasons, and the plants/trees associated with each season; and we follow the pagan holidays, and the plants/trees associated with them. I found it fascinating to read not only about the gifts that the plants and trees bring to us, but the myths that are associated with each one of them. (The line drawings included for the plants add a way to truly "see" them - the text explains "how" they are used, the drawings allow us to see what the plants are, and to see if we are drawn to them in any way.)
Part of the story that the authors tell has to do with our roots from long ago - from the first hunter/gatherer peoples, and how the women of this society wee the ones that collected the herbs and plants, and that they were the ones to whom the secrets of the plants were told. As society progressed, the witches - those who gathered herbs and healed - were driven out of society. With the age of science, and the need for scientific "proof", the most natural manner of healing was all but driven underground.
We learn about sex and fertility magic, and the plants associated with them from various parts of the world. There is a very good section about St. John's Wort - a medicinal plant which is used in treating depression, amongst other things. (And with no side effects, as there are with drugs that treat depression in Western Medicine.) The bright yellow flowers of this plant are gorgeous - I have them planted around my home, and they are beautiful and have a strong tendency to swarm - i.e. grow out and take over an area!
If you wish to learn about herbal medicine, about shamanic practices, and hear the history that comes with them, this is the book for you. It is well researched, well written, and well presented. The graphics are incredible, and there is a very good bibliography at the end of the book, for those who wish to pursue these ideas further. Also, there is quite an interesting appendix that gives some associations between the plant world, witches and devils.
I do recommend this book to those who are serious about the subject of witchcraft and shamanism as associated with healing.
Claudia Muller-Ebeling, PhD, is an art historian and anthropologist, co-author of Shamanism and Tantra In The Himalayas.
Christian Ratsch, PhD, is a world-renowned anthropologist and ethno-pharmacologist specializing int he shamanic use of plants. He is the author of Marijuana Medicine, and co-authored Plants Of The Gods.
Wolf-Dieter Storl, PhD, is a cultural anthropologist and ethnobotanist. He is author of
1. ibid. page VI.
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