Our review today is The Poison Path Herbal: Baneful Herbs, Medicinal Nightshades, and Ritual Entheogens by Kobi Michael. Kobi will be on the show, and we’ll be exploring these ideas in greater depth soon. If you’ve read the book or are drawn to the path of poison and ecstatic witchcraft, don’t miss that episode.
“The Poison Path is not just about ingestion—it’s about initiation, and walking into the dark with awareness.”
“Each plant is an archetype, a planetary force in green form—unlocking gates to shadow, ecstasy, and revelation.”
The Poison Path is not a casual journey—it requires deep responsibility, precision, and reverence. Many of the plants involved are toxic and can be lethal.
The book connects plant chemistry with archetypal planetary forces—Saturn, Venus, and Mercury become gateways to inner transformation through baneful herbs.
Traditional witchcraft used flying ointments and plant allies not just for effect but for spiritual initiation, altered states, and communion with the Otherworld.
Historical context matters. Kobi situates each plant within its folkloric, medical, and magical lineage, bridging ancient rituals with modern science.
The threefold path of the poison practitioner involves crossroads (initiation), planetary workings (archetypal alignment), and the garden (cultivation and harvesting).
The text provides practical instructions for making tinctures, oils, and ointments—offering a hands-on approach to deepening your path.
This is not just a book about plants—it’s a map of consciousness, an alchemical journey through fear, transformation, and gnosis.
“Witches didn’t ride brooms for spectacle. They rode them to dissolve identity and speak to gods.”
“To work with baneful herbs is to court death as an ally—and in that flirtation, to find deeper life.”
This was a powerful read for me, not just for the quality of the writing, but because of the timing. At a point when many are exploring psychedelics and visionary states, few genuinely examine how these states relate to the deep tradition of witchcraft. This book captures that exploration through the lens of the classical witches’ practice, drawing us into the mysteries of the Poison Path.
Kobi Michael offers not just a warning—but a rightful invocation of reverence. This is not a playful read. The Poison Path is aptly named; many of the plants discussed are deadly in the wrong doses. The book calls the practitioner into a place of deep responsibility. It’s not a light introduction—it’s a gateway that demands groundedness and knowledge.
Kobi ties these explorations into archetypes—especially planetary ones. It’s not just about ingesting something for effect. It’s about Saturn, Venus, and Mercury. About how the dark archetypes resonate through the body and psyche via the chemistry of plants. He begins with Part One: “What Is the Poison Path?” Here, foundational knowledge is laid—ethnology, ethnobotany, and an especially intriguing term: Solanaceae.
Solanaceae—think nightshades. Think flying ointments. Think the devil’s school in the Carpathian Mountains. These aren’t just academic references. Kobi dives into cultural mythos, magical traditions, and real chemistry. For instance, the witches’ flying ointment is treated with respect and curiosity, exploring the blend of charcoal, oils, and psychoactive alkaloids that might’ve been absorbed transdermally through the use of broomsticks in “specific positions.”
He outlines the three ways of the Poison Path, introducing archetypes alongside plants. Saturn gets the baneful herbs. Venus explores love and seduction. Mercury leads us to trickery and altered cognition. Each section is rich with lore and botanical detail.
He moves into the closing segment—other magical plants used as catalysts, euphorics, or purifiers. It’s all there. And it ends with practical wisdom: walking the Crooked Path. Cultivating the “other” garden. Harvesting responsibly. Preparing ritual formulas. It’s not just poetic—it’s grounded. It’s dirty fingernails and distillation flasks. It’s botanical witchcraft with both feet in history and both hands in the soil.
The book is not just magical, but medicinal and political. It gives deep botanical context—scientific references, traditional uses, and cautions. It’s a field guide to dangerous beauty. The flying ointment recipe alone—while speculative—is plausible, and provides a solid base for further experimentation (with caution!).
The magic of the book lies in the interweaving of planetary archetype, plant chemistry, and psycho-spiritual impact. Belladonna. Aconite. Mandrake. These plants are discussed not just in terms of effect, but in terms of consciousness, ecosystem, and initiation.
Whether you’re walking the Left Hand Path, deepening your ritual plant work, or seeking to ground your practice in both science and gnosis, this book delivers. Even if you’re not ingesting a thing, it becomes a brilliant reference for ritual use, energy work, and plant spirit connection.
It includes exact measurement discussions, identification of growing locations, extraction methods, and preparation of tinctures and oils. These are gifts for both the practical herbalist and the psychonaut alike.
This is a powerful book. It will awaken your curiosity, sharpen your respect, and deepen your understanding of the path most dare not tread. Whether you’re a witch, an herbalist, a magician, or a seeker of the forbidden fruit—this is a key to the garden.
“Saturn teaches through hardship, Venus through seduction, Mercury through chaos—and all through the body.”
“This is not folklore alone. This is medicine, chemistry, myth, and soul—converging in the sacred poison.”
“The Crooked Path winds through garden and grave. Those who walk it learn to cultivate shadow as sacrament.”
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