Synopsis

A practitioner's field manual covering twenty primary toxic plants with full botanical identification, toxicology, historical usage across multiple traditions, and magical application. Built on primary-source scholarship — Pompeian garden archaeology, poison trial archives, British Library Sloane manuscripts, Della Porta's Magia Naturalis — rather than secondary occult citations.

Cross-traditional scope spans European poison lore, African diaspora rootwork, and Indigenous American botanical practice. Practical sections cover tinctures, salves, oils, powders, flying ointments, zoological allies, creature curios, venoms, bone magic, and campaign planning for sustained baneful workings.

Key Differentiators

• Primary sources: Original archaeological, archival, and manuscript sources — not secondary occult literature
• Cross-traditional: Three continental traditions in one volume (European, African diaspora, Indigenous American)
• Practitioner-authored: 36 years lived practice + naturopathic certification
• Working manual: Practical preparations and campaign planning, not academic survey

Comparable Titles

About the Author

Dana Batista is a polytheistic southern chaos-folk magician with thirty-six years of lived magical practice. She holds naturopathic certification, maintains a working poisoner's garden in Sanford, North Carolina, and founded Thornwork — the first transparent spellcasting platform. Her practice spans Celtic, Norse, Taino, and Santa Muerte traditions.

Target Publishers

Weiser Books · Inner Traditions / Bear & Company · Three Hands Press · Scarlet Imprint · North Atlantic Books