Author: Yuko Nishimura, 'The Witch's Botanical Garden: 37 Plants Cherished by Witches'

A book that introduces plants often featured in fantasy novels, such as mandrake, hazel, and elder.

⭐️Kindle Edition

⭐️Paperback Edition

As someone who is still waiting for my acceptance letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the moment I read this title, I thought, 'I want to read this!'

Surely this will be perfect for preparing for Herbology class.

Flying on a broomstick seems like something some people are good at and others aren't, and I'll probably be the latter, but if it's about grinding plants or simmering them in a pot, I'm sure I can do it... probably!

...With that lighthearted feeling, I started reading this book, and it was very easy to read because the writing style feels like it's speaking directly to the reader.

For example, plants like oregano and dill, which are sold in Japanese supermarkets, appear in the book, so I felt a sense of familiarity, and

● Folklore related to witches
● Poisonous plants that led great figures to their deaths
● Plants that appear in myths and literary works

Through such a wide range of content, my curiosity about witches and plants was stimulated.

What I'm particularly intrigued by is, of course, the mandrake.

It appeared in 'Harry Potter' under the name 'Mandrake,' didn't it?

It's a truly terrifying plant whose roots are shaped like a human, and when pulled out, it lets out a scream unlike anything in this world, which kills any creature that hears it...

However, it seems that various powers were believed to be hidden in these roots, such as gout medicine, sleeping pills, aphrodisiacs, and so on...

I'm very curious.

I'm veeery curious.

There seems to be a discrepancy between the actual mandrake and the mandrake with these legends attached to it, though...

It's so mysterious that I'm curious.

Perhaps the most mysterious thing is the human imagination that comes up with such legends.

<Recommended for these people>
Those who have a longing for the words 'witch' or 'wizard'.
Those who are interested in plants that appear in myths and literary works.

<Estimated reading time>
About 5 to 6 hours.