A tale of witches, plant ointments, and broomsticks
Happy Halloween! Have you ever wondered why witches are depicted on broomsticks? I explain the pharmacology behind their "flight"!
Halloween is a celebration of fascinating plants, more so than it is a celebration of goblins, ghosts, and ghouls. And by 'plants,' I'm not referring to pumpkins; I'm talking about the plants that once gave witches and warlocks the ability to 'fly' and commune with spirits.
The magic behind Halloween lore is based on the pharmacology of tropane alkaloids—hallucinogenic and even poisonous compounds found in the Solanaceae, or nightshade, plant family. This same plant family includes useful plants like tomatoes, potatoes, chili peppers, tobacco, and more. However, these aren't the plants you'll find in witches' ointments. Instead, this is the domain where plants like henbane, deadly nightshade, mandrake, and jimson weed reign.
These hallucinogenic plants were often associated with nefarious dealings with the devil, likely due to the intense states of psychosis they can elicit. We can find mention of these powerful plants in legends of antiquity. For example, the deadly nightshade (Atropa species) are so named after the Greek Fate, Atropos, who cuts the thread of life for humans.
In the article, Love potions and the ointment of witches: historical aspects of the nightshade alkaloids, the authors describe some instances of how important such plants were to the tales of mythology:
In the myth of Medea and Jason, Jason was able to plow with fire-spitting bulls and rob the Golden Fleece with the help of Medea’s potions. When Jason afterwards married Glauce, Medea gave her a wedding dress which had been dipped in poison, so that Glauce died a violent and painful death. The effect of the “plant of Circe,” with which the companions of Ulysses in Greek mythology were changed into pigs, is attributed to Solanaceae, particularly Hyoscyamus. Medea and Circe received their knowledge from their mother, Hecate. Hecate’s priestesses knew mandrake, belladonna, and probably also Scopolia atropoides for the production of hallucinations and sleep.
The knowledge concerning the effect of mandrake on the central nervous system is also mirrored in an Old Egyptian myth about the gods, according to which Hathor began to exterminate all of humanity and Re, in order to stop her, put a beer, which contained the juice of mandrake, in front of her. Hathor became cheerful, intoxicated, and no longer recognized human beings.
In later pharmacological works, including Pedanius Dioscorides' (c. 40–90 AD) volumes of De Materia Medica, there is specific mention of the role of dose in achieving altered psychological states. For example, regarding the hypnotic effects of jimson weed, Dioscorides notes that:
Small doses (1/2 drachma), when dissolved in wine, cause pleasant sensory effects.
Larger doses (2 drachmas) can intoxicate a person for up to 3 days.
Very high doses (4 or more drachmas) cause death.
You might be wondering, 'What's a drachma?' It is a unit of measurement equivalent to 4.3 grams or 0.15 ounces.
Pharmaka diabolics: The ointment of witches
Centuries later, where does the witch's broomstick fit into this story? Well, it's related to the delivery route of the bioactive tropane alkaloids responsible for the hallucinogenic effects of these plants. In addition to atropine and scopolamine, another important tropane alkaloid is hyoscyamine. Today, we use these compounds in modern medicine under well-controlled doses and routes of administration:
Atropine is an anticholinergic medication used to treat certain types of nerve agent and pesticide poisonings, as well as some causes of slow heart rate. It is also used to decrease saliva production during surgery.
Scopolamine is an anticholinergic medicine used to manage and treat postoperative nausea and vomiting, as well as motion sickness. It is found, for example, in skin patches designed to manage motion sickness.
Hyoscyamine is a medicine used to treat bowel and bladder muscle cramps. It is also used to treat symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, and other digestive problems.
Historically, these molecules, found in the chemically complex witches' brews and ointments, were commonly applied by users to 'hairy regions,' such as the armpits and groin, and particularly inside the vagina and rectum.
In describing the use of such ointments in “black magic”, the authors of the article on ancient love potions explain:
The effects of black magic could cause objects to fly through the air and arouse sexual feelings. It was said that a witch, who wanted to ride to have sex with the devil on the Brocken, would undress, cover herself and even her anus and genitals with the green witches' ointment, climb into the kneading trough, take a broom or stove poker between her legs, and soon the evening trip would begin.
Victims were so numbed with the witches' ointment, that after experiencing imaginary flights in the air, festive banquets, dancing, and love, they would awaken convinced of the reality of the dreamed events. The ointment could be applied to the whole body, including axillae and rectum, and probably was also introduced as deep as possible into the vagina.
Another account of this practice has been documented in a 15th century text by theologian Jordanes de Bergamo, who wrote:
The vulgar believe, and the witches confess, that on certain days or nights, they anoint a staff and ride on it to the appointed place or anoint themselves under the arms and in other hairy places.
Tropane alkaloids are easily absorbed across the skin, and it is unsurprising that vaginal or rectal application of ointments enriched with these compounds—using, perhaps, a broomstick—would achieve the rapid effects that the users sought.
The Takeaway
Isn’t it incredible how plants have become so ingrained into our cultures, religions, and celebratory traditions? Over millennia, these pharmacologically active members of the Solanaceae plant family have shaped myths and legend of great societies—from the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, to Medieval witches!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this lesson on the history and pharmacology of broomsticks and witches’ ointments. An important note on safety: PLEASE DO NOT try this at home! Tropane alkaloid poisoning is a serious concern and even accidental exposures can lead to death.
Wishing you all a happy and safe Halloween!
Yours in health, Dr. Quave
Cassandra L. Quave, Ph.D. is a scientist, author, speaker, podcast host, wife, mother, explorer, and professor at Emory University School of Medicine. She teaches college courses and leads a group of research scientists studying medicinal plants to find new life-saving drugs from nature. She hosts the Foodie Pharmacology podcast and writes the Nature’s Pharmacy newsletter to share the science behind natural medicines. To support her effort, consider a paid or founding subscription, with founding members receiving an autographed 1st edition hardcover copy of her book, The Plant Hunter.
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You continue to amaze me with your posts. Being a student of plant lore and medicine I have known these stories for along time but with your continued academic research and scientific studies your shared info reaches out to so many with such credibility. Amazing how so many of our beliefs and fears are rooted in such mysterious stories that have not been acutely shared. Thank you again.
Dear Dr. Quave, your cool article on Halloween plants inspires me to write to you. As a botanist/plant ecolgist with a long time side interest in ethnobotany, I love your substack column. And I really admire your professional and personal achievements in general. I think it's great that your lab is advancing and expanding the uses of the world's medicinal plants. If I weren't already 79, I would apply to do a second Ph. D. in your lab. All the best, and much applause, Cathy Stone