Kew - Witch's Garden: Plants in Folklore, Magic and Traditional Medicine

Fully illustrated, The Witch's Garden tells the story of our folkloric fascination with magical plant specimens, documenting the beliefs and rituals surrounding the natural world.

Witch's Garden describes over 50 of the world's most powerful magical plants and their uses, mythical and proven.

Wise women, apothecaries, witches, herbalists: whatever you call them, those who cultivate plants for their fabled mystical and healing properties have existed for thousands of years. From the screaming mandrake to calming St John's Wort, the history of esoteric species is often as dark and elusive as the art of herbalism itself. Including tales of remedies for everything from bad weather and broken hearts to protection from evil and the invocation of immortality, Witch's Garden features exquisite botanical illustrations and fascinating specimens held within the archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, while archival images depicting occult practices evoke the bewitching nature of these mysterious species.