Yo, Don’t Eat That Plant: Dangerous Herbs
I get messages all the time from people who want to know what kind of herbs they should use to heal various sicknesses and ailments, and I always need to point out that I AM NOT an herbal medicine expert, and therefore am unqualified to offer any kind of recommendations for medical herbal usage. Honest. There are people out there with far more botanical knowledge than me.
That said, what I do know a lot about is the magical and folkloric use of herbs. If you have questions about the use of an herb in a spell or ritual, I got your back. I’m more than happy to help out here, and in nearly all of the spellwork and ritual practice I do, herbs are rarely taken internally, and if they are, it’s simply as a tea.
Regardless of how you’re using herbs, it’s really really REALLY important to make sure you have a good herbiary/herbal almanac on hand before you ingest any sort of plant material. If you’re not sure what books to read, here’s a great list I put together over on LearnReligions of recommended material for magical herbalism: Magical Herbalism Book List
In the meantime, I wanted to point out some of the herbs that have the potential to be toxic if ingested by pregnant people and your house pets. This is not – and is not intended to be – a list of every toxic or harmful herb, it’s just some of the more common ones. Again, before taking any herbs internally, check with your healthcare professional to make sure they’re safe.
The following are just a few of the many herbs out there that can be harmful to pregnant people.
- Angelica, catnip, pennyroyal, rosemary: can cause contractions
- Basil, feverfew, mugwort, yarrow: can induce menstruation
- Black cohosh, goldenseal, mistletoe: can cause miscarriage
- Comfrey: can cause liver damage in both the mother and fetus
- Feverfew, mugwort: can cause birth defects
- Buckeye nuts can cause vomiting and diarrhea in both dogs and cats, although cats usually don’t bother trying to eat them. I learned this when one of my dogs chomped on one and we ended up in the vet’s office getting his stomach pumped (he was fine, in case you’re wondering, but I was scared and it cost me $483).
- Chamomile can cause vomiting in both dogs and cats, as well as diarrhea.
- Foxglove, also called Digitalis purpurea, is used in the manufacture of the cardiac medicine digitalis. It can cause irregular, abnormal, or elevated heart rate in cats and dogs, and even death.
- Holly plants, especially the bright red berries, can cause stomach distress and drooling in both cats and dogs.
- Jimson weed can cause neurological issues like dilated pupils, anxiety, and light sensitivity in cats and dogs, as well as larger animals like horses and cows.
- Mistletoe berries can stimulate drooling, as well as cause vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal distress in cats and dogs. Too many can be fatal.
- Pennyroyal leaves are generally harmless, but the essential oil can cause liver failure. Tests have shown it will cause spontaneous abortion in pregnant cats.
- Tobacco leaves can be toxic for house pets, and cause vomiting, irregular heart rate, paralysis, and even death.
Want to dive deeper into the world of plant magic and folklore? Check out my book Herb Magic (available April 21, 2020), for a list of 40 of the most popular magical herbs, and 75 brand new herbal spells for wealth, love, healing, and prosperity.
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