From broomsticks and bubbling cauldrons to mysterious flying potions, the real story behind witches’ legendary brews has a surprising connection to the history of mind-altering plants.
They have been part of our culture for hundreds if not thousands of years….from the witch in Bugs Bunny to the 3 witches of Shakespeare and Hocus Pocus, we feel we know and get them. But do you know the spooky backstory on witches and did they really use cannabis other things in their spells?
Every Halloween, witches take center stage. They’re flying across the moon, stirring bubbling cauldrons and riding broomsticks through the night. But where did the idea of flying witches actually come from? And did those legendary women really have a secret recipe for getting airborne?
The answer involves some curious history, a little folklore and plants were considerably more interesting than anything then modern fun-sized treats in the Halloween candy bowl.
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Long before witches became a Halloween costume staple, European folklore was filled with stories of women who knew their way around herbs, roots and mysterious potions. Some were healers who understood plants and their traditional uses. Others became the subjects of frightening accusations during centuries when witchcraft was widely feared.
Among the most intriguing stories were accounts of so-called flying ointments. These were mysterious salves witches supposedly rubbed on themselves or their broomsticks before heading off to midnight gatherings. According to the stories, the preparations could make them feel as though they were flying through the night.
And there may be a little more to the legend than a good Halloween tale.
Some historical recipes and accounts describe ingredients such as henbane, mandrake and belladonna, better known as deadly nightshade. These were powerful plants with mind-altering properties. Whether women actually used the preparations as described, or whether much of the story grew out of witchcraft accusations and imagination, remains a subject of historical debate.
One particularly interesting theory is the sensation of flying came from the effects of these plant-based preparations rather than an actual trip on a broomstick. In other words, the witches may have believed they were soaring through the night while everyone else saw something considerably less magical.
So where does cannabis enter the picture?
Marijuana has a long history of human use, including ancient ritual practices, and it certainly has the kind of reputation fits a story about mysterious potions. But there’s an important distinction: historians have not established cannabis as a regular ingredient in the European flying ointments associated with witchcraft.
The better-documented ingredients were other plants, particularly those from the nightshade family. Cannabis may be a natural fit for a modern retelling, but giving it a starring role in medieval witchcraft would be stretching the evidence.
Even the broomstick has a surprisingly interesting backstory. The earliest known illustration of witches flying on broomsticks appeared in a French manuscript from 1451. The image helped establish one of Halloween’s most recognizable symbols. Before long, witches and their airborne household equipment were firmly planted in European folklore.
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The idea of witches using ointments to travel to secret nighttime gatherings also became part of the mythology. Whether these stories reflected actual practices, imagined experiences or the fears of the people telling them is still debated.
What is certain is the combination of mysterious plants, midnight gatherings and flying broomsticks made for a story was almost impossible to forget.
So, this Halloween, when someone mentions witches getting high, there’s a real historical rabbit hole worth exploring. Cannabis might not have been the secret ingredient in their famous flying potions, but the history of mind-altering plants and witchcraft is every bit as intriguing as the legends.
And somewhere, a Halloween witch is probably still looking for a better parking spot for her broomstick.
