Deadly Nightshade. (Atropa Belladonna).
Monkshood. (Aconitum Napellus).
Henbane. (Hyoscyamus Niger).
Thornapple. (Datura stramonium).
Poplar.
Foxglove.
Poppy.
Cinquefoil.
Smallage.
Woody Nightshade.
Hemlock and Water Hemlock
Parsley.
Wild Celery. (Apium graveolens).
At times there is mention of more exotic elements, for instance the fat of human babies and bats blood. These are most likely sensationalist reports or there to "spice" up the magical aspect of the recipe. However the use of a fat, probably from an animal, was employed to provide an oily base for the crushed plants, enable its application on the skin and as a medium to prevent the rapid evaporation of the volatile plant alkaloids.
Despite many Witches being aware of Mushrooms and Fungi that promote altered states, they have not been mentioned in any of the texts on Flying/Sabbath ointments. (A discussion on the range of hallucinogenic fungi is provided later).
The reproduction of Flying ointment recipes and their application has promoted similar experiences of flying, out of body experience and meeting fantastic gods and demons. Dr Erich Peuhart, of the University of Gottingen, Germany conducted experiments on himself and a colleague to investigate the effects of Flying ointments, his subsequent report was similar to the accounts provided by Witches, and included flying through the air, landing on a mountain top, orgiastic rites and the appearance of monsters and demons.
A more recent experiment was conducted on the night of the 30st April, the Walpurgis Sabbath, 1992, by an individual known to this writer, who we will call Richard, it was described as follows; The unguent was rubbed on the pulse points of the hands and feet, after 5 minutes, a great feeling of tiredness and coldness overcame me and I lay down, my breathing slowed and I began to feel a bit panicky that I would die, however I convinced myself that if I did go into respiratory collapse or heart failure the instructions I had left with a friend who was attending me would enable him to provide artificial respiration and call an ambulance. My understanding of time became impossible so I could not decide how long my experiences lasted. Eventually I stopped being fearful and my mind seemed to be becoming detached from its normal state, there was still a feeling of coldness then I seemed to be floating upwards. I found myself soaring above the rooftops of London and my body was no longer human it had become amorphous like a giant squid, with its tentacles streaming behind it. With a little concentration I could change my body into virtually any shape I so desired. I seemed to be heading West and eventually came to a hillside, there I met a number of other people who informed me that the meeting place was not on this world but in the stars.
I immediately shot into the sky towards a very bright star, I was not alone and as I flew towards the star many others were with me, our bodies seemed to melt into each other and I remember intense sensations of pleasure running up and down my body, which at the same time was not my body but everyones, it's difficult to describe. Eventually I came to an enormous hall and walked upon its cold floor towards a flight of steps, either side of the hall were enormous pillars that stretched up so high I could not see a ceiling. As I came to the top of the steps I saw a hooded figure of a woman, she looked at me though her face was hidden by the hood. I suddenly felt an incredible sensation of power emanating from the woman and I became very frightened. The woman began to remove her hood and through fear I averted my gaze, a voice in my head told me to look up, I did and the face of the woman shone so brightly it hurt, not just my eyes but my whole body. I then remember a sensation of falling and cannot remember anything else.
The report of the friend who attended Richard made notes, these notes were as follows;
1. 10.55 pm. Pulse 75 beats per minute, Blood pressure 110/70, Temperature 37 C
2. The unguent was applied to the hands and feet at 11pm.
3. Pulse at 11. 02 was 85 beats per minute.
4. 11. 10, Richard is getting very drowsy, incoherent and reports feeling cold. Pulse 92
5. 11.20, He has fallen sleep, pulse is 95 beats per minute and strong, Breathing is regular and slow.
6. 11.30, pulse 97, he feels clammy. Temp 38 degrees C
7. 12.00, Breathing is slow, long and regular, pulse 102.
The accounts from 12am until 9am were of a gradual reduction in pulse rate to normal until Richard awoke and immediately wrote down his experiences. Apart from an intense feeling of thirst and a headache no negative effects could be discerned straight after or for a month following the experiment. The attendant who monitored Richard said, that apart from being petrified that Richard would die on him when the pulse just seemed to be rising and rising the first hour, nothing untoward happened.
Many of these experiments have been conducted by medically trained individuals, current practitioners of Witchcraft and a number of people seeking interesting and novel experiences. It is uncertain if the similarities of their experiences are a feature of the plant substances used or their expectancies before they used the drug. Richard choosing a known Witches Sabbath date to conduct the experiment perhaps set up in his own unconscious mind a potential script of what he would experience.
The ready availability of many of the plants containing the active constituents of Flying Ointments, are a potential danger to individuals who have a desire to experiment on themselves. Given the lethal properties of these plants and the inability to ascertain dose, it is an activity left to the experienced, trained or foolish. It should be noted the internal administration of most of these plants is extremely dangerous, this point being reflected in their use externally by Witches.
