"Bright" vs "Dark" Plants, The Poison Path, and The Need To Stop Being Edgelords About It All

It is forever obnoxious to me, when dealing with materials pertaining to the Poison Path, that there is always an air of completely unnecessary edginess about the nature of the plants. Particularly in regards to their “dual nature”. The most recent example I’ve encountered comes from 'The Poison Path Herbal: Baneful Herbs, Medicinal Nightshades, and Ritual Entheogens', when Mr. Michael says:

The statement is certainly not untrue. In fact, he’s completely correct. However? It contains, overall, a symptom of a much larger mentality I encounter often along the Poison Path, and among those who write about it and practice its supposed virtues. One which has traveled beyond the realm of annoying, and which I wish I could chuck in the gutter and never see again.

It’s an obnoxious statement specifically because those on the Poison Path, whether they realize it’s what they’re doing or not, always act as if it is only Baneful Herbs which have such a dual nature- which is where the unnecessary edginess rears its ugly head ... Yet in actual reality? All plants (or at least nearly all, anyways; there are always exceptions to the rule) are dual natured in this way; the so called “Healing Herbs” of the world are no different than the so called “Baneful” ones in being capable of inflicting harm and trickery.

🠶 Take Iris, for instance. It has been long used as a Diuretic, as a remedy for Bronchitis, and as a Laxative for Constipation. The dried root of Iris Germanica var Florentina is specifically known as Orris Root- which most would recognize as a common ingredient in perfumes, incenses, potpourris, and other aromatic products. And yet Iris is well known to be toxic- causing vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, severe stomach pain, convulsions, and even liver, kidney, and even spleen failure if used incorrectly.

🠶 Comfrey, which I planted in my own garden last year as part of an experiment in natural fertilizer moving forward, has also long since been used as both an internal and external expectorant, astringent, and demulcent. Modern trials especially have shown it acutely beneficial in the topical treatment of joint pain, inflammation, myalgia, degenerative arthritis, and more- but only if the native Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids are removed from any such concoction made with Comfrey, because as it turns out, such a once widely used and beneficial healing herb is actually toxic; capable of causing a form of liver disease that can only be diagnosed through a postmortem liver biopsy, through accumulative consumption of even the smallest amounts- whether that “consumption” is through internal or external usage of any kind of preparation.

🠶 Coltsfoot has been found to contain these same accumulative Alkaloids. As does every member of the Heliotropium genus- another common aromatic- that has been tested so far (out of 325 species in total). Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium Cannabinum) is also among them. As are many, many others.

And this is but a small smattering of blatant examples of Healing Herbs which are perfectly capable of trickery, and which contain an inherent multiplicity and duality. There are thousands more- more than one could possibly ever even list.

The true difference between "Baneful" and "Healing" plants? Is in the fact that the Baneful is so called because they harm more often than they heal; Baneful Herbs require an incredibly skilled and carefully studied hand in order to use them properly without hurting someone- and so it is much easier to harm people with them even when it’s their healing nature which is being sought out. As a result, many have developed “opposite associations”, and become taboo in cultural mythology and folklore around the world- becoming deeply associated with more “negative” figures and deeds, compared to the often “holier” and more elevated folklore and associations that develop around Healing Herbs.

But this dichotomy does not actually mean that there exists between them any true divide which makes Baneful dual natured and Healing single natured, or somehow removes the ability for Healing herbs to be equally as capable of trickery and deceit as their Baneful counterparts. And frankly, with as much herbal knowledge as many people on the Poison Path promote themselves as possessing? You would honestly think they'd not only know this, but also genuinely understand it.

It seems, however, that they are wrapped up in too much of their own egotism and desire to be edgy, and too focused on the “bad boy” image of Baneful Allies to listen to their brighter counterparts. Which is disappointing, as the age old adage clearly instructs us that “To Heal you must also know to Poison- for both are two sides of the same coin”. And so you would think, truly, that the door of understanding would swing both ways. But apparently the wisdom does not.