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Notes from the Apothecary: Clematis
Clematis is known as a climbing plant that produces glorious, beautiful blooms in summer. In fact, there are so many types of clematis, many of which bloom in spring and some even in early autumn. Some have petite, pretty flowers, while others produce huge discs of colour. Some grow extremely fast, while others are more ponderous, ideal for small pots in limited space. Like humans, clematis plants embody diversity. Let’s take a closer look. The Kitchen Garden If you’re looking for a tasty addition to a practical kitchen garden, veer away from clematis. Every part of this plant is toxic, and you should encourage children and pets to stay away…
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Book Review — Plant Energy Medicine: The Guiding Voice and Healing Vibration of 58 Plants by Rhonda PallasDowney and Sandi O’Connor
Book Review — Plant Energy Medicine: The Guiding Voice and Healing Vibration of 58 Plants by Rhonda PallasDowney and Sandi O’Connor Publisher: Healing Arts Press, a division of Inner Traditions International 320 Pages Release Date: July 8, 2025 I feel like I’m super lucky to get to review some amazing books, particularly ones about nature, plants, herbalism, and other “green” magic-associated topics. This volume, which promises to explore a whopping 58 plants, is, unsurprisingly, very enticing to me. The book starts with some beautifully moving song lyrics by Kate Watters, and a foreword by Rosemary Gladstar, of the Science and Art of Herbalism course. The introduction explores synchronicity and the…
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Book Review — The Divine Nature of Plants: A Medical Intuitive’s Guide to Plant Spirit Medicine by Laura Aversano
Publisher: Destiny Books, a division of Inner Traditions 288 Pages Release Date: July 8, 2025 Content warning: This book contains extensive writing about mediumship, aka, speaking to the dead, including deceased children. If you’re a regular Pagan Pages reader, you know I love plants. I write the column Notes from the Apothecary and love to explore the ways we use plants as medicine, food, and magical companions for all sorts of everyday aspects of life. That respect for plant medicine comes from a scientific viewpoint, for example, looking at the folklore medicine of plants or what Mrs Grieve wrote in her Modern Herbal, and seeing how modern research now backs…
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Notes from the Apothecary: Bistort
Until the end of August, possibly a little beyond depending on the weather, you may find the bristly, bottlebrush-like flowers of bistort growing everywhere from meadows to roadside hedgerows and verges. Although the bistort we have in the UK and that found in the US are slightly different, they’re all part of the same family: Polygonaceae, under the genus Bistorta. Here in the UK, I always think of the flower as little pink or purple cleaning brushes. The North American variant tends to be a bit paler and fluffier looking — I hope I get to see some with my own eyes someday. The Kitchen Garden The Wildlife Trust reports…
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Book Review – The Magic of Seeds by Clare Gogerty, Illustrated by Prudence Rogers
Book Review The Magic of Seeds: The Nature-Lover’s Guide to Growing Garden Flowers and Herbs From Seed by Clare Gogerty, Illustrated by Prudence Rogers Publisher: David & Charles 144 Pages Release Date: March 28, 2023 Regular Pagan Pages visitors will know that my love of plants is no secret. So, getting the chance to review any flora-related book is a win, in my opinion. This volume from Clare Gogerty with superb illustrations by Prudence Rogers is a gem, both a riveting read and a useful reference book. The Magic of Seeds is about growing your own plants for magical and practical purposes — after all, most magic is a pretty…
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Book Review-The Silver Branch and the Otherworld: Forest Magic with Plant and Fungi Allies by Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue
Book Review The Silver Branch and the Otherworld: Forest Magic with Plant and Fungi Allies By Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue Publisher: Bear & Company 265 page paperback Release Date: July 16th, 2024 The Silver Branch and the Otherworld: Forest Magic with Plant and Fungi Allies is a book filled with the wisdom of O’Donoghue’s Irish Celtic ancestry, weaving the use of entheogens like Mushrooms and Cannabis into a cohesive, animistic practice infused with witchcraft. The Silver Branch and the Otherworld starts off by covering basic theory and philosophy of O’Donoghue’s practices, even giving Wheel of the Year Rituals for the 4 Sabbats of Beltaine, Lughnassád, Samhain and Imbolc. O’Donoghue then moves the reader into…