Faery Charms 2: Poisonous Roots

Mandrác, Mandragor: Mandrake: Black bryony: Extremely toxic plant with dark green glossy leaves and brilliant red berries. In old times root gatherers used a black dog as a poison tester. People who uproot it [usually done before sunrise on a Friday] will die within a year [sign of the cross three times]. ‘Witches kept the mandrake, and were said to sell portions of it to people who wanted to find out secrets, to wives who desired offspring, and to people who wished for wisdom.’ Believed to grow only beside the gallows-tree or near cross-roads where suicides are buried If an innocent man was hung, and his tears fell to the earth, a broad-leaved, yellow-flowered mandrake would grow.
Widdershins: the act of walking in a circle counterclockwise should not be performed on Halloween. It is believed to call up the Devil. Saint John’s Wort, the Herb of Midsummer & Red Verbena are potents against evil spirits.
Primrose: When eaten, primroses make the invisible visible. Touching a faerie rock with the correct number of primroses in a posy opens the way to faerie land, but the wrong number opens the door to doom. (255)
Ooyl y Jouyll: Thorn Apple: Of the Mysteries: Toxic. Associated with Second Sight. In Puritan times those who grew Yerba del Diablo in their gardens were burnt at the stake.