Witchcraft Medicine: Healing Arts, Shamanic Practices, and Forbidden Plants - Softcover

Müller-Ebeling, Claudia; Rätsch, Christian; Storl Ph.D., Wolf-Dieter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0892819715 ISBN 13: 9780892819713

Publisher: Inner Traditions, 2003

Synopsis

Witchcraft Medicine In "Witchcraft Medicine" the authors examine the women who mix the potions and become the healers, the legacy of Hecate, the sorceress as shaman, and the plants associated with the solstice and Halloween. They also look at the history of forbidden medicine, with an eye toward how the sacred plants of our forebears can be used once again. Full description

About this title

Review:

"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

"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

"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

"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 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

From the Back Cover:

WITCHCRAFT / SHAMANISM "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 Contemporary Shamanism "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 Witch medicine is wild medicine. It does more than make one healthy; it encourages knowledge and engenders ecstasy and mythological insight. In Witchcraft Medicine the authors take the reader on a journey that examines the women from centuries past who mixed the potions and became the healers. As humans left the "thorny brush" and settled into agrarian societies, elements of nature (including human nature) became identified as wild and destructive, and the culture of the witch was born. Through study of ancient and medieval texts and the artwork of the early Renaissance, the authors explore the demonization of nature's healing powers and sensuousness, the legacy of Hecate, the sorceress as shaman, and the plants associated with witches. They describe important seasonal festivals and the plants used in these celebrations and rituals. They also look at the history of forbidden medicine from the Inquisition to current drug laws, with an eye toward how sacred plants of witchcraft can be used once again. CLAUDIA MuLLER-EBELING, PH.D., 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., is a world-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist who specializes in the shamanic uses of plants. The author of Marijuana Medicine and coauthor of Plants of the Gods, he lives in Hamburg, Germany. WOLF-DIETER STORL, PH.D., 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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Inner Traditions
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0892819715
• ISBN 13: 9780892819713
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272