From: dhardin@bbn.com (Dawn Hardin)
Newsgroups: alt.pagan,alt.magick
Subject: herb books
Date: 5 Nov 92 18:22:17 GMT
NNTP-Posting-Host: bbn.com

In article <6T7NTB5w165w@brewich.hou.tx.us>, skye@brewich.hou.tx.us (Skye Stryder) writes:
>  
> I just picked up a Llewyn(sp) book on Magical Herbs as it was the only 
> thing I've found (thus far) for my private library that goes into any 
> detail on the magical uses of herbs.  The author, Scott Cunningham, seems 
> to project a Pollyanna-ish, don't threaten the fundie, attitude and 
> downplays (if not censors...I'm too unschooled at this point to know what 
> he's withholding) the darker uses of herbs.
>  
> Is this my imagination?  And if not, I'd be pleased to hear of any better 
> books on magical herbalogy that are out there.

I've got Scott Cunningham's book on herbs too, and I had very much the same
feeling.  I also had the feeling that he was making half of it up as he
went along.  I got some good ideas from it (I bought some carnation essential
oil to stand for fire in rituals and I LOVE it, and I also like using 
patchouli oil for male principal.  Don't ask me how successful using
orange blossom oil to turn men into love slaves has been. :-) ) but in
the big picture it ain't the big picture.

The best companion source that I've found so far has been non-magickal
books on herbs, especially ones that include info on pharmocology and
toxicology.  The magickal books can be horrid on that score, I've seen
several books suggest teas that are toxic.  (Of course, that might
be *why* the teas are effective, but I'd want to know before I guzzled
half a gallon.)  The book I'm using is the _Rodale Encylopedia of Herbs_.
(that might not be the exact title, but it ought to be close enough to
find it.)  I'm not 100% happy with it, but it's a solid enough source of
information that balances out the Cunningham book.  

There's a lot of controversy in the field.  One of the things I
like about the Rodale book is that the chapter on poisons includes three
different authorities rating scales.  There's more than one instance where
one authority rates an herb as completely safe and another rates it as
a don't-touch.  The biggest confusion comes in psycho-active herbs, which
some authorities rate as toxic on that basis alone.  That's a shame --
I still have no idea whether mugwort tea or cigarettes are really safe
or not.  I've heard from reliable sources that it's not safe during pregnancy,
but I don't know why.  (Are psycho-actives what you meant by darker uses?)

There's very little research being done in natural pharmacology, because
it's impossible to patent a plant and so there's no big money behind
studies.  I just try to accumulate the solid facts as I can, and make up
the magickal uses as I go along.  It means more if you decide what a
symbol means anyway, because the whole thing is drawing a mental connection.

Dawn
"Then I check out that chick Leda with the swan pecking at her pink egg tempera
nipple.  Hey, what that swan be doing?  And why?  And how 'bout those plump
maidens, those hot cherubic babes being presented to Apollo, Dionysius,
Neptune or one of those other well hung gods?"  by Bongwater