Herbalism: Potions & Such.

 Dear Reader,

There's a lot of recipes for spell bottles and potions kicking around on the internet. Please take the time to seriously investigate what you're putting in there is safe. Different herbs can be deadly (i.e. Belladonna Atropos has earned it's name because it can kill you with a rather small dosage.) and different chemical combinations can be lethal as well (i.e. do not mix urine with bleach, you will get chlorine gas and can die). 

When I am making my spell bottles and potions, I use materials that are safe to handle with bare hands. I research what the chemical and medicinal properties of the components I am using, because sometimes even inhaling a small amount of the particulates kicked up as you're grinding them in your mortar and pestle can have an effect on you. My go to book for information on the medicinal properties of herbs is a bit dated. It is M. Grieves's A Modern Herbal. I have the earlier, two volume edition. Either way, you get a lot of really good information on how to use the herbs listed in the book(s) safely and some indications of what they don't work with.

I also will check with my pharmacist before making any sort of thing that I ingest if the herb is safe for consumption. Part of your local pharmacist's education is alternative medicines. I had a book that listed the drug interactions for most of the popular herbs used but the book got borrowed and never came back. I can't even remember the title of it, but it was for the folks in the nursing program where I went to college. 

Remember the argument that something is natural therefore its good for you is completely garbage. Hogweed is natural and cause horrific results just brushing up against it. Poison Ivy is natural but is the bane of almost everyone in my region except for the damn deer who eat it like candy. (I am exasperated with the deer population because it is so high that they're a menace. Why is it so high? Because we've pushed out and killed the natural predators that controlled the population. They're slowing being reintroduced but the deer still out number them in a big way.) 

Be cautious about what you use in your spellwork, your potions, and consumables. Even your spice rack can be problematic. Fennel, for example, is great for encouraging milk production in lactating people but it will wreck havoc on you if you have gall bladder issues. (Found that one out the hard way, do not recommend -67/10.) If you have underlying health conditions that require you to take prescription medications, always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting some kind of herbal medical regime. Lots of herbs will interact with prescription medication and such because they are the original source for other prescription medications. Valerian, as another example, is a sedative that can cause the same issues as taking Benadryl (drowsiness, dizziness, and difficulty operating heavy machinery) and you don't want to take it along with other medications or herbs that do the same effects because it will amplify them. (Yes, friends, that herb can put you to sleep for good if you take too much of it, so be very careful with your home remedy sleep aids, please.)

If you want to make potions and such, do it from a position of informed safety. All knowledge is worth having. Especially if it allows you to keep your health.